This repo contains the specification of the VCF Zarr format for storing VCF data in Zarr files. See the preprint for details on the rationale, and efficiency gains when processing large amounts of genetic variation data.

To convert a VCF file to VCF Zarr, see vcf2zarr.

An implementation of this specification can be found in sgkit.

VCF Zarr is a draft specification, and we hope to gain input from a wide range of use-cases and perspectives. If there's a specific problem with the specification (for example, lack of clarity on some details) please open an issue to discuss. For more open-ended discussiones, please start a new thread on our discussions board.