WKB (Well-Known Binary)
A compact binary format for geometries, widely used in spatial databases and APIs.
Category: Formats
Definition (expanded)
WKB encodes a single geometry as bytes (often hex or base64 in text contexts). It's common in PostGIS and database drivers. Unlike GeoJSON FeatureCollections, one WKB value is one geometry (Polygon, MultiPolygon, GeometryCollection, etc.).
Related tools
Related terms
EndiannessThe byte order used to encode binary numbers, such as little-endian or big-endian.Hex (hexadecimal)A text encoding that represents bytes using characters 0-9 and a-f, common for WKB strings.Base64A text encoding that represents bytes using A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, and /, also used for WKB in some APIs.EWKB (Extended WKB)A PostGIS extension to WKB that can include SRID and additional flags.WKT (Well-Known Text)A plain-text format for geometries (e.g., POLYGON, MULTIPOLYGON) widely used in GIS and spatial databases.PostGISA spatial extension for PostgreSQL that adds geometry types, indexes, and functions like ST_Intersects and ST_Union.GeometryCollectionA single geometry that contains multiple geometries, which can be different types (Polygon, MultiPolygon, etc.).