What is the RSD file format?
Files with the .rsd filename extension store relational databases created by REALbasic - an object-oriented programming environment that was later renamed to Xojo. REALbasic utilized SQLite technology to create and manage databases, and a single .rsd file stores a complete database along with all relations between its entries. The RealSQL database file format conforms to the SQLite 3 standard, so database operations can be conducted using standard SQL commands, and the file begins with the 16-byte signature SQLite format 3\0 at byte offset 0.
Because the on-disk container is genuine SQLite 3, an .rsd file can be opened directly by any SQLite-compatible tool - not only by REALbasic or Xojo. Tools such as DB Browser for SQLite or the sqlite3 command-line utility work without modification.
.rsd files are less common today because when REAL Software renamed its product to Xojo around 2013, the RealSQLDatabase class was also renamed to SQLiteDatabase, and the conventionally recommended extension for new databases became .sqlite. However, some developers working in Xojo continue to encounter or produce .rsd files, particularly when maintaining older projects. Renaming an .rsd to .db or .sqlite does not alter the file contents - the SQLite 3 data remains fully intact and readable.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA RealSQLDatabase .rsd is passive SQLite data - records and schema, not executable code - so opening one in a SQLite viewer is safe. There is no encryption by default, so anyone with the file can read it; do not store secrets in an unencrypted .rsd. As always, confirm the file really is a SQLite database (the "SQLite format 3" signature) before assuming - the same extension is used by unrelated software (Rockbox, some games), and a mystery .rsd from an untrusted source is best inspected, not executed.
Format details
in a nutshell- Rockbox sound / voice file - Rockbox firmware has used .rsd for sound clips/voice data on portable players - unrelated to the database format.
- RSD game archive - Some games (e.g. certain console/PC titles) use .rsd as a packed resource/archive container.
- RealSystem RealMedia metadata - Historically associated with RealNetworks RealSystem streaming data.
Programs that open RSD files
Windows3 apps
DB Browser for SQLite
Open-source Open the .rsd (you may need to allow 'All files' in the file picker); browse tables and export to CSV.
Xojo (SQLiteDatabase)
Freemium Open the database with the SQLiteDatabase class in code; free for development, paid to build/ship. 
macOS2 apps
Xojo (SQLiteDatabase)
Freemium Open via the SQLiteDatabase class; the modern successor to REALbasic's RealSQLDatabase. 
Linux2 apps
sqlite3 (CLI)
Open-source Run 'sqlite3 file.rsd' then '.tables' / SQL queries / '.mode csv' + '.output' to export. Technical details
deep spec| Container format | SQLite 3 database (single-file B-tree page store) |
| Encoding | Binary |
| Magic bytes | SQLite format 3\0 - 16-byte signature at offset 0, identical to any standard SQLite 3 file |
| Byte order | Big-endian for multi-byte fields in the SQLite file header |
| Default page size | 4096 bytes (stored in the 100-byte SQLite file header; configurable at database creation time) |
| Associated API class | RealSQLDatabase (REALbasic); renamed to SQLiteDatabase in Xojo |
| File structure | 100-byte SQLite header, sqlite_master schema table, then B-tree pages for tables and indexes |
| SQL dialect | Standard SQL via the embedded SQLite 3 engine |
| MIME type | application/x-sqlite3 |
| Compression | None - table and index data stored uncompressed in fixed-size SQLite pages |
| Encryption | None by default; optional only if the application layer adds an SQLite encryption extension |
| Crash recovery | SQLite WAL (Write-Ahead Log) or rollback-journal mode; PRAGMA integrity_check available |
| Scalability limits | Up to ~281 TB per database; up to 2000 columns per table (SQLite default) |
| Platform support | Windows, macOS, Linux - any platform with an SQLite 3 library |
| Superseded by | SQLiteDatabase class with .sqlite extension, introduced when REALbasic was renamed to Xojo (~2013) |
| Released | Mid-2000s (REALbasic's RealSQLDatabase class) |
| Latest version | N/A - class renamed to SQLiteDatabase in Xojo; the on-disk file is standard SQLite 3 |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | documentation.xojo.com |
RSD conversions
Community Q&A
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