.ZARR File Extension
Zarr Data File
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What is a ZARR file?
A ZARR file is a data file saved in the Zarr format, an open standard designed for storing large, multidimensional arrays, such as images, scientific measurements, and simulation data. It contains multiple smaller files that store chunks of data along with metadata in standards like JSON. The directory structure in which ZARR files are stored allows software to read and write only the parts of the dataset it needs, improving performance when working with very large datasets.
More Information
Researchers, data engineers, and developers commonly use the Zarr format in scientific computing, data science, and machine learning to work with large numerical datasets. It is especially popular in fields such as climate science, genomics, astronomy, and geospatial analysis, where datasets can be too large to load entirely into memory.
For example, a ZARR file may store climate model output, with global temperature, precipitation, and wind data stored as large multidimensional arrays and accessed in small chunks for analysis. Researchers may use tools such as Python (zarr, NumPy, xarray, dask) and cloud-based data platforms to quickly read, process, and visualize only the portions of massive ZARR datasets needed on local disks or in the cloud.
How to open a ZARR file
ZARR files are not designed to be opened directly by standard file viewers. However, libraries and applications such as Zarr Python, TensorStore, and zarrita.js can load Zarr datasets and allow users to inspect, analyze, or visualize the data.
Because a Zarr dataset uses a folder-based structure, you should not rename or modify individual files inside it manually. Some visualization and analysis tools can load Zarr datasets directly, but most users interact with them through code rather than by double-clicking a file.