Waveform Database (WFDB) Project

Welcome to the website for the Waveform Database (WFDB) project.

WFDB defines a set of open standards and software tools for the storage, sharing, and analysis of physiologic signal and annotation data. It has been widely used for decades to support biomedical research, clinical studies, and education.

What is WFDB?

At its core, WFDB provides:

  • A format specification for representing digitized signals and event annotations.
  • Software libraries and tools for reading, writing, processing, and visualizing waveform data.
  • A foundation for many of the databases hosted on PhysioNet.

Originally developed at MIT by George B. Moody in 1989, WFDB continues to evolve through the efforts of the open biomedical data community.

Key Resources

  • WFDB Format Specification
    Learn how WFDB records are organized across header, signal, and annotation files.

  • WFDB Software
    Explore the official C, Python, and MATLAB implementations for working with WFDB data.

  • WFDB Working Group
    Meet the contributors who help maintain and improve the WFDB standards.

  • Glossary
    Quick reference for key WFDB terms and concepts.

Get Involved

The WFDB project is maintained by volunteers and collaborators. We welcome contributions, feedback, and suggestions for improving the specification and tools.

If you would like to get involved, please contact us or open an issue on GitHub.

Acknowledgments

The WFDB project builds on decades of work by George B. Moody, Roger G. Mark, and the broader research community. We thank all contributors who have helped shape and maintain WFDB standards and tools.