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GDAL(1) GDAL GDAL(1)

NAME

gdal - Main gdal entry point

Added in version 3.11.

SYNOPSIS

Usage: gdal <COMMAND> [OPTIONS]
where <COMMAND> is one of:


  - convert:  Convert a dataset (shortcut for 'gdal raster convert' or 'gdal vector convert').


  - dataset:  Commands to manage datasets.


  - driver:   Command for driver specific operations.


  - info:     Return information on a dataset (shortcut for 'gdal raster info' or 'gdal vector info').


  - mdim:     Multidimensional commands.


  - pipeline: Process a dataset applying several steps.


  - raster:   Raster commands.


  - vector:   Vector commands.


  - vsi:      GDAL Virtual System Interface (VSI) commands.
Common Options:


  -h, --help              Display help message and exit


  --json-usage            Display usage as JSON document and exit


  --config <KEY>=<VALUE>  Configuration option [may be repeated]
Options:


  --version               Display GDAL version and exit


  --drivers               Display driver list as JSON document
'gdal <FILENAME>' can also be used as a shortcut for 'gdal info <FILENAME>'.
And 'gdal read <FILENAME> ! ...' as a shortcut for 'gdal pipeline <FILENAME> ! ...'.


RETURN STATUS CODE

The program returns status code 0 in case of success, and non-zero in case of error (non-blocking errors emitted as warnings are considered as a successful execution).

EXAMPLES

Example 1: Display the GDAL version

$ gdal --version
GDAL 3.13.1 "Iowa City", released 2026/06/01 (debug build)


Example 2: Getting information on the file utm.tif (with JSON output)

$ gdal info utm.tif


Example 3: Converting file utm.tif to GeoPackage raster

$ gdal convert utm.tif utm.gpkg


Example 4: Getting information on all available commands and subcommands as a JSON document.

$ gdal --json-usage


Example 5: Getting list of all formats supported by the current GDAL build, as text

$ gdal --formats


Example 6: Search for Parquet in the list of all formats using jq

Bash

$ gdal --drivers | jq '.[] | select(.short_name == "Parquet")'


PowerShell 

gdal --drivers | jq '.[] | select(.short_name == \"Parquet\")'


AUTHOR

Even Rouault <even.rouault@spatialys.com>

COPYRIGHT

1998-2026

June 5, 2026