Convert JSON to MariaDB

Q: How do I convert JSON to MariaDB?

Drop your file on the converter at the top of this page. It finds the header, reads every value and writes the MariaDB script, listing each fix it made. Download the script and run it with the mariadb client.

Q: What shape does the JSON file need?

An array of objects, an object that holds that array under a key such as data, or one object per line (NDJSON). Each key becomes a column.

Q: Which MariaDB types does it use?

Yes and no values become tinyint(1), whole numbers int, decimals decimal(p,s), dates date, dates with a time datetime(6) and text varchar(n). Sizes come from the longest value in each column.

Q: Does it keep leading zeros in MariaDB?

Yes. A code such as 000481 stays text, so MariaDB stores it as varchar(8) and the script writes it as '000481'.

Q: Can it load the data into MariaDB without a script?

Yes, with IntoSQL Pro. The desktop app and the command line connect to MariaDB and load the rows straight in, creating the table first.

Q: How big can the JSON file be?

NDJSON, one object per line, is read as it streams in, so files of several gigabytes work in the browser. A JSON document is read whole, so its limit is the memory the browser gives this page. The desktop app and the command line take files of any size.

Drop your JSON file to get a MariaDB script with CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements. Each column gets a type, and every fix is listed with its row and column.

OutputHeader rowDates

4 rows converted, 2 fixes, none rejected

Your fileSQL2 fixes

The first rows of pedidos_2024.json, with each fix marked
Row
2	000481	Peña Muñoz	2024-02-03T10:15:00Z	1234.5	true
3	000482	José Ángel Ruiz	2024-02-15T16:40:00Z	99.9	false	Entrega en la tarde
4	000483	Zoë Ortíz	2024-02-29T09:05:00Z	12	true
5	000484	Ñuño Castañeda	2024-03-11T13:30:00Z	980.75	sí	Factura con "RFC"
6
7
8
9
10
11

-- Written by IntoSQL for MariaDB.

SET NAMES utf8mb4;
SET SESSION sql_mode = REPLACE(@@sql_mode, 'NO_BACKSLASH_ESCAPES', '');
START TRANSACTION;

CREATE TABLE pedidos_2024 (
    pedido varchar(8) NOT NULL,
    cliente varchar(16) NOT NULL,
    fecha datetime NOT NULL,
    total decimal(6,2) NOT NULL,
    pagado tinyint(1) NOT NULL,
    notas varchar(32)
) DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;

INSERT INTO pedidos_2024 (pedido, cliente, fecha, total, pagado, notas) VALUES
('000481', 'Peña Muñoz', '2024-02-03 10:15:00', 1234.5, TRUE, NULL),
('000482', 'José Ángel Ruiz', '2024-02-15 16:40:00', 99.9, FALSE, 'Entrega en la tarde'),
('000483', 'Zoë Ortíz', '2024-02-29 09:05:00', 12, TRUE, NULL),
('000484', 'Ñuño Castañeda', '2024-03-11 13:30:00', 980.75, TRUE, 'Factura con "RFC"');

COMMIT;

Fixes

Leading zeros kept in "pedido": 000481 stays 000481, stored as text.
"pagado" holds yes and no words (sí), stored as boolean.

Your file is converted on this computer and never uploaded.

Other samples:

From JSON to MariaDB, column by column

The sample above, pedidos_2024.json, as IntoSQL writes it for MariaDB: what each column holds in the file, the type it gets and how its first value lands in the script.

In the file	First value	Column	MariaDB type	In the script
pedido	000481	pedido	varchar(8)	'000481'
cliente	Peña Muñoz	cliente	varchar(16)	'Peña Muñoz'
fecha	2024-02-03T10:15:00Z	fecha	datetime	'2024-02-03 10:15:00'
total	1234.5	total	decimal(6,2)	1234.5
pagado	true	pagado	tinyint(1)	TRUE
notas	-	notas	varchar(32)	NULL

Load the script into MariaDB

The download is a plain .sql file. Run it with MariaDB's own tools.

From a terminal

$mariadb --default-character-set=utf8mb4 mydb < pedidos_2024.mariadb.sql

The script sets utf8mb4 itself; the flag makes the client send it the same way, so accents arrive intact.

From a database tool

In HeidiSQL or DBeaver, open the script and run it.

Without a scriptPro

IntoSQL Pro loads the file straight into MariaDB from the desktop app or the command line, without writing a script.

$intosql load pedidos_2024.json --into mariadb://user@localhost/mydb

What to know about JSON files and MariaDB

What IntoSQL reads in JSON files

The file can be an array of objects, an object that holds that array under a key such as data, or one object per line (NDJSON).
Each key becomes a column. Objects and arrays inside a value are kept as JSON text.
Numbers keep their exact digits, and ISO 8601 dates become dates or timestamps.

What to know about MariaDB

Yes and no values become tinyint(1). Text up to 255 characters is varchar; longer text is text, mediumtext or longtext by size.
The script uses utf8mb4 and sets the SQL mode, so accents, emoji, backslashes and line breaks load as written.
MariaDB's datetime stores no time zone.

How each kind of value is stored in MariaDB

Value	MariaDB
Yes and no	tinyint(1)
Whole numbers	int
Large whole numbers	bigint
Decimals	decimal(p,s)double
Floating-point numbers	double
Dates	date
Times of day	time(6)time
Dates with a time	datetime(6)datetime
Dates with a time and offset	datetime(6)datetime
Text	varchar(n)textmediumtextlongtext

Questions about JSON to MariaDB

Not answered here? Write to us from the contact page and a person replies. Contact page

How do I convert JSON to MariaDB?

Drop your file on the converter at the top of this page. It finds the header, reads every value and writes the MariaDB script, listing each fix it made. Download the script and run it with the mariadb client.

What shape does the JSON file need?

An array of objects, an object that holds that array under a key such as data, or one object per line (NDJSON). Each key becomes a column.

Which MariaDB types does it use?

Yes and no values become tinyint(1), whole numbers int, decimals decimal(p,s), dates date, dates with a time datetime(6) and text varchar(n). Sizes come from the longest value in each column.

Does it keep leading zeros in MariaDB?

Yes. A code such as 000481 stays text, so MariaDB stores it as varchar(8) and the script writes it as '000481'.

Can it load the data into MariaDB without a script?

Yes, with IntoSQL Pro. The desktop app and the command line connect to MariaDB and load the rows straight in, creating the table first.

How big can the JSON file be?

NDJSON, one object per line, is read as it streams in, so files of several gigabytes work in the browser. A JSON document is read whole, so its limit is the memory the browser gives this page. The desktop app and the command line take files of any size.