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Convert BSON to JSON and Reshape CSV Data

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To convert BSON to JSON, you decode the binary form a database stores into the readable text form developers work with. BSON is the format MongoDB uses internally, and a raw BSON dump is unreadable until you convert it. Alongside it, CSV files often need reshaping rather than converting: a wrong separator, columns and rows the wrong way around, or values that break because of a stray comma. This guide covers both, the real conversions in the data world and the fixes that go with them.

In this guide

Convert BSON to JSON

BSON, short for binary JSON, is how MongoDB stores documents on disk. It holds the same kind of data as JSON, but in a compact binary form that also records types JSON does not handle natively, such as dates and raw binary. The cost is that you cannot read it directly.

The BSON to JSON converter decodes that binary into clean, readable JSON, which is what you need when inspecting a database export or debugging stored documents. Once it is JSON, you can read it, validate it, or feed it into other tools. Both formats are covered in our guide to JSON and CSV tools.

Decode Base64 into JSON or CSV

Data is often wrapped in Base64 before it is stored or sent, so the first step is to unwrap it. The Base64 to JSON converter and the Base64 to CSV converter decode that wrapper back into usable JSON or a CSV table. There is more on Base64 payloads in our guide to online converters.

Change a CSV delimiter

CSV stands for comma separated values, but the separator is not always a comma. Many European systems use a semicolon, because in those locales the comma is the decimal point. Open a semicolon file in software expecting commas and every row collapses into a single column. The CSV delimiter converter swaps one separator for another so the file opens correctly wherever you need it.

Turn CSV columns into rows

Sometimes the data is correct but oriented the wrong way, with categories running across the top when you need them down the side. The CSV columns to rows converter transposes the file, flipping columns into rows in one step, which saves rebuilding the table by hand.

Fix CSV quoting

CSV has one well-known weakness. Because fields are separated by commas, a value that itself contains a comma, such as Smith, John, gets split into two columns unless it is wrapped in quotes. The add quotes to CSV tool applies that protection across a file, and the CSV quotes converter adjusts quoting that exists but is in the wrong style. Together they stop a file from breaking when it reaches another program.

Free data tools used in this guide

Frequently asked questions

What is BSON and how do I convert it to JSON?

BSON is the binary form of JSON used by MongoDB. A BSON to JSON converter decodes it into readable JSON you can inspect or validate.

What is the difference between BSON and JSON?

They hold the same kind of data, but BSON stores it as compact binary and records extra types like dates and binary data. JSON is the readable text form.

Why does my CSV open as a single column?

It most likely uses a different separator than your software expects, often a semicolon instead of a comma. Changing the delimiter fixes it.

How do I stop a comma inside a value from breaking my CSV?

Wrap the value in quotes so the comma is read as text rather than a column break. An add quotes to CSV tool does this across the whole file.

Can I flip a CSV so columns become rows?

Yes. A CSV columns to rows converter transposes the file, turning columns into rows in one step.

Convert Base64 to JSON, CSV or Hex

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To convert Base64 to JSON, you decode the Base64 text back into the structured data it was wrapped from. Base64 is often used to carry a JSON payload, a CSV file, or raw bytes through systems that only handle plain text, and the result is an unreadable string until you decode it. This guide shows how to convert Base64 to JSON, CSV, hex, and plain text, with a free tool for each, and what to check when the decoded result still does not look right.

In this guide

Base64 as a wrapper around data

Base64 does not change what data is, only how it is written. A JSON object, a CSV table, or a block of bytes gets rewritten as a single text string so it can ride safely inside an API response, a token, or a database field. To use that data again, you decode it back to its original form. The background on the encoding itself is in our guide to Base64 encoding.

The converters below each assume a different thing is hiding inside the string, and they decode it accordingly.

Convert Base64 to JSON

This is the most common case for developers. API payloads, configuration, and the body of a JWT token are frequently JSON wrapped in Base64. The Base64 to JSON converter decodes the string and returns the JSON, ready to read or validate.

A quick signal: a Base64 string that begins with the characters eyJ is almost always JSON, because that is how an opening brace and quote encode. It is exactly why JWT tokens start that way. If yours starts with eyJ, expect JSON on the other side. To then check the structure, our guide to JSON and CSV tools covers the analyzer.

Convert Base64 to CSV

Tabular data is also carried this way, often when a spreadsheet export is attached to a request or stored as a single field. The Base64 to CSV converter decodes the string back into rows and columns you can open in a spreadsheet program.

Convert Base64 to hex

Sometimes you need the underlying bytes rather than a guessed format. The Base64 to hex converter shows the decoded data as hexadecimal, two characters per byte. This is the tool to reach for when you are inspecting unknown data and want to see its raw bytes, since hex reveals file signatures and structure that text would hide.

Convert Base64 to plain text

When the data is simply text, two converters return it directly. The Base64 to UTF-8 converter handles modern text with accents, other alphabets, and symbols, while the Base64 to ASCII converter is fine for plain English. If your decoded text shows odd characters where accents should be, switch to the UTF-8 tool.

Decoded but still unreadable

If a string decodes without error but the result is still gibberish, the data was probably not plain text or JSON to begin with. The most common reasons are that it was compressed before encoding, or encrypted, in which case decoding Base64 only removes the outer text wrapper and leaves the compressed or encrypted bytes underneath. Viewing it as hex often makes this clear, since a recognisable file signature at the start tells you what the real format is.

Free Base64 converters used in this guide

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert Base64 to JSON?

Paste the string into a Base64 to JSON converter. It decodes the text and returns the JSON it was wrapped from, ready to read or validate.

Why does my Base64 string start with eyJ?

Because eyJ is how an opening brace and quote encode in Base64, so a string starting with it is almost always JSON. JWT tokens start this way for the same reason.

What if the decoded data is still unreadable?

The data was likely compressed or encrypted before encoding. Decoding Base64 removes only the text wrapper, leaving those bytes underneath. Viewing it as hex helps identify the real format.

Should I use the ASCII or UTF-8 converter?

Use UTF-8 for text with accents, other alphabets, or symbols. ASCII is fine for plain English. If accents look wrong, switch to UTF-8.

Is decoding Base64 reversible?

Yes. Base64 is a lossless wrapper, so the decoded data is exactly what was encoded, with nothing added or removed.

JSON and CSV Tools: Validate, Convert and Reshape Data

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JSON and CSV tools solve the same underlying problem: data that needs to be checked, converted, or reshaped before it will work. JSON and CSV are the two formats most data travels in, one built for structure and nesting, the other for plain tables, and both break in small, frustrating ways. A single missing comma can invalidate a whole JSON file, and a stray comma inside a value can shift every column in a CSV. This guide explains both formats and the tools that handle them.

In this guide

JSON and CSV: two shapes of data

JSON, short for JavaScript Object Notation, stores data as named values that can nest inside one another. It suits anything with structure: a configuration file, an API response, a record with fields inside fields. The cost of that flexibility is fragility. JSON has strict rules about commas, quotes, and brackets, and one misplaced character invalidates the entire file.

CSV, short for comma separated values, is the opposite. It stores data as a flat table of rows and columns, the shape a spreadsheet uses. It is simple and universal, but it has no room for nesting, and it has one notorious weakness around the comma itself. Knowing which format you are dealing with decides which tool you need.

Checking and reading JSON

Because a single error breaks a whole JSON file, the first step with any JSON is usually to check it. The JSON analyzer reads a JSON file, confirms whether it is valid, and shows its structure clearly, so a missing bracket or a trailing comma is easy to spot rather than hunting for it line by line.

This matters most when JSON comes from somewhere you do not control, such as an API response or a file from another system. Checking it first turns a vague error elsewhere into a precise location you can fix.

Getting data into JSON

Data does not always arrive as clean JSON. The BSON to JSON converter turns BSON, the binary form of JSON used by databases such as MongoDB, into readable text you can actually inspect.

When JSON has been wrapped inside an encoded string, which happens often in API payloads and stored data, the Base64 to JSON converter decodes it back into plain JSON. Both turn data you cannot read into data you can.

Reshaping CSV files

CSV files are simple, but they rarely arrive in exactly the shape you need. The comma is the standard separator, yet many European systems use a semicolon instead, because in those locales the comma is the decimal point. Open a semicolon file in software expecting commas and every row collapses into one column. The CSV delimiter tool swaps one separator for another so the file opens correctly.

Sometimes the problem is orientation rather than separators. The CSV columns to rows tool transposes a file, turning columns into rows, which is the quick fix when data was exported the wrong way around.

The CSV quoting problem

CSV has one weakness worth understanding on its own. The format separates fields with commas, so what happens when a field contains a comma, such as the address 10 Downing Street, London or the name Smith, John? Without protection, that comma is read as a column break, and every column after it shifts out of place.

The fix is quoting: a field containing a comma is wrapped in quotation marks so the comma inside is treated as text. The add quotes to CSV tool applies that protection across a file, and the CSV quotes converter adjusts quoting that is already there but in the wrong style.

Sharing and protecting data

Two more tools help when JSON leaves your hands. The JSON screenshot tool turns a JSON structure into a clean image, which is useful for documentation or for showing a structure to someone without sending a raw file.

Before sharing real data, the JSON censor tool redacts sensitive values, such as keys, tokens, or personal details, so you can hand over a JSON file for debugging without exposing what should stay private. The full set of these tools lives in the JSON tools category and the wider developer tools category.

Free data tools used in this guide

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between JSON and CSV?

JSON stores structured data that can nest, which suits configuration and API responses. CSV stores a flat table of rows and columns, which suits spreadsheets. JSON handles complexity, CSV handles simple tables.

Why does my JSON file show an error?

JSON has strict rules about commas, quotes, and brackets, and one misplaced character invalidates the whole file. A JSON analyzer shows you exactly where the problem is.

Why does my CSV open as a single column?

The file most likely uses a different separator than your software expects, often a semicolon instead of a comma. Changing the delimiter fixes it.

Why do some CSV values have quotation marks?

A value that contains a comma must be wrapped in quotes, otherwise that comma is read as a column break and the columns shift. Quoting keeps the value intact.

Are these tools free?

Yes. Every JSON and CSV tool on the site is free, runs in your browser, and needs no account.