csv

CSV stands for Comma-Separated Values. It is a plain text format used to store tabular data. In a CSV file, each line represents a record, and fields within a record are separated by a delimiter, most commonly a comma. A header row may be present, naming the columns.

If a field contains a delimiter, a newline, or a double quote, it is typically enclosed in double quotes. Any double quote inside a quoted field is escaped by doubling it. While comma is the standard delimiter, many locales use other characters such as semicolons or tabs; the choice of delimiter can vary by program or region.

CSV files are plain text and can be encoded in various character encodings, with UTF-8 and ASCII being common. Line endings and the use of a Byte Order Mark (BOM) may vary by system. There is no universally enforced header requirement or quoting convention beyond what a particular parser expects.

Standards: There is no single formal standard for CSV, though RFC 4180 outlines a common set of rules. Because of this, behavior can differ between applications, especially regarding quoting, escaping, and line breaks.

Uses and limitations: CSV is widely used to exchange data between spreadsheets, databases, and other tools because of its simplicity. It has no built-in data typing or metadata and can be fragile when fields contain special characters. For large datasets, memory usage and parsing speed should be considered.

Handling and tooling: Most programming languages offer CSV libraries to parse and write files safely, handling dialects, encodings, and edge cases. When exchanging data, it is advisable to specify the delimiter, encoding, and whether a header row is included to maximize interoperability.