HDFView For Linux

The HDF (short for Hierarchical Data Format) is a file format designed specifically for storing (and organizing) huge amounts of data. It's mostly supported by The HDF Group, a non-profit organization that wants to ensure the continued development of HDF5 technologies.

There are currently two relevant HDF formats, namely the HDF5, and the HDF4 which is a legacy version. Viewing these types of files is practically impossible without a specialized tool, and that tool is called HDFView.

HDFView is a visualization tool fully written in Java. Its purpose is to provide you, the user, with a simple way of viewring and browsing HDF files. The app uses the Java HDF Object Package. This package implements both HDF4 and HDF5 data objects.

Speaking of supported HDF files, the app is capable of opening a wide range of HDF-related formats including h5, h4, he5 and he2, as well as HDF, HDF4 and HDF5.

In short, with the help of HDFView you can view any HDF's hierarchy in a tree structure. Even though it has "View" in its name, the app also allows you to create new HDF files, as well as add or delete groups and datasets. You can also view and modify pretty much any content of datasets, as well as manage their attributes (add, delete, and edit).

The fact that HDFView allows you to create new HDF files from scratch or edit existing ones, makes it a pretty decent HDF editor. The GUI is a bit old by modern standards, but the app works flawlessly even with large HDF files.

HDFView is not the only app that allows you to view HDF files. However, it's probably the best at displaying bulky files without being cumbersome.