CDDB

CDDB, short for Compact Disc Database, is an online repository of metadata for audio CDs. It is used by CD ripping and media management software to identify a pressed disc and automatically retrieve track titles, artist names, album title, and release information.

Identification works by computing a disc fingerprint from the track start times and durations. The client sends this disc ID to a CDDB server, which looks up the corresponding metadata and returns a data block with the disc information. If no matching entry exists, contributors can submit or correct data, and editors may add new releases to grow the database.

The project emerged in the late 1990s to provide a standardized source of disc metadata for software users. It was eventually commercialized and integrated into Gracenote’s metadata services, becoming widely deployed in consumer media applications. In response, a community-driven alternative called FreeDB was created to provide a freely accessible, open implementation based on the same protocol.

CDDB and its descendants have influenced how digital music libraries attach descriptive information to physical CDs. Today, many ripping and library tools use Gracenote, MusicBrainz, or other metadata sources, but the CDDB protocol remains part of the history of automated disc identification and user-contributed data.

See also Gracenote, FreeDB, MusicBrainz.