Apache Avro serialized data
File type: Various data file
Files with avro file extension contain data serialized in the Apache Avro format.
They are used with the Apache Avro data serialization framework and its language libraries and tools.
File type category:
Various data file
Date updated: October 11, 2026
The avro file extension is associated with Apache Avro, an open-source data serialization framework developed by the Apache Software Foundation.
An avro file stores serialized data according to an Avro schema. Avro commonly stores records in a binary object container file, which can include the schema needed to interpret the data. Avro is also used for data exchange and storage in software that communicates through schemas.
Apache Avro provides libraries and tools for working with these files on multiple platforms.
Open an avro file with Apache Avro tools or with an application that includes an Avro library. Avro object container files are usually binary, so they will not be readable in a normal text editor.
Apache Avro tools can inspect or decode the records. An application may need the file's embedded schema, or a separately supplied schema when the data is not stored in an object container.
Apache Avro tools and Avro libraries can read an avro file and write the records in another format, such as JSON or another application-specific data format.
Conversion requires a compatible Avro schema and may require application-specific handling for complex values. Avro is a serialization format rather than a document format, so conversion is normally performed by reading and rewriting the records instead of by simple file renaming.
Software apps that create avro files:
Multiplatform
Software applications that handle other tasks involving avro files:
Multiplatform
Language
