Json To Vcf Converter

For simple JSON where keys match VCF fields directly:

jq -r '.[] | "BEGIN:VCARD\nVERSION:3.0\nFN:\(.name)\nTEL:\(.phone)\nEMAIL:\(.email)\nEND:VCARD\n"' contacts.json > contacts.vcf

This works but lacks escaping for special characters – use only for trusted data.

Convert structured contact data from JSON format into standard VCF (vCard) files, which can be imported into address books (Google Contacts, Outlook, iPhone, Thunderbird, etc.). json to vcf converter

function jsonToVcf(jsonData):
    vcfString = ""
    for each contact in jsonData.contacts:
        vcfString += "BEGIN:VCARD\n"
        vcfString += "VERSION:4.0\n"
    // FN is mandatory
    if contact.fullName exists:
        vcfString += "FN:" + escapeVcf(contact.fullName) + "\n"
// N (structured name)
    if contact.lastName or contact.firstName:
        last = escapeVcf(contact.lastName or "")
        first = escapeVcf(contact.firstName or "")
        vcfString += "N:" + last + ";" + first + ";;;\n"
// Phone numbers
    for each phone in contact.phoneNumbers:
        typeParam = "TYPE=" + phone.type if phone.type else ""
        vcfString += "TEL" + formatType(typeParam) + ":" + phone.number + "\n"
// Emails
    for each email in contact.emails:
        typeParam = "TYPE=" + email.type if email.type else ""
        vcfString += "EMAIL" + formatType(typeParam) + ":" + email.address + "\n"
// Addresses
    for each addr in contact.addresses:
        adrStr = "ADR" + formatType("TYPE=" + addr.type) + ":"
        adrStr += ";;" + escapeVcf(addr.street) + ";" + escapeVcf(addr.city)
        adrStr += ";" + escapeVcf(addr.state) + ";" + escapeVcf(addr.postalCode)
        adrStr += ";" + escapeVcf(addr.country) + "\n"
        vcfString += adrStr
// Other fields
    if contact.organization: vcfString += "ORG:" + escapeVcf(contact.organization) + "\n"
    if contact.jobTitle: vcfString += "TITLE:" + escapeVcf(contact.jobTitle) + "\n"
    if contact.birthday: vcfString += "BDAY:" + contact.birthday + "\n"
    if contact.notes: vcfString += "NOTE:" + escapeVcf(contact.notes) + "\n"
    if contact.website: vcfString += "URL:" + contact.website + "\n"
vcfString += "END:VCARD\n"
return vcfString

function escapeVcf(str):
// Escape special characters: , ; , :
return str.replace("\", "\\").replace(";", "\;").replace(",", "\,").replace(":", "\:")

| Scenario | Why You Need It | |----------|----------------| | API → Phone | Export contacts from a backend API (JSON) to your Android/iOS address book. | | CRM Export | Many CRMs export JSON but import VCF. | | Data Migration | Moving from a custom database to Google Contacts or Outlook. | | Backup & Restore | Keep a readable JSON backup but convert to VCF for restoration. |

JSON:

[
"name": "Ada Lovelace",
    "email": "ada@example.com",
    "phone": "+441234567890",
    "company": "Analytical Engine"
  ,
"name": "Alan Turing",
    "email": "alan@example.com",
    "phone": "+441234567891",
    "company": "Bletchley Park"
]

VCF Output:

BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 FN:Ada Lovelace EMAIL:ada@example.com TEL:+441234567890 ORG:Analytical Engine END:VCARD

BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 FN:Alan Turing EMAIL:alan@example.com TEL:+441234567891 ORG:Bletchley Park END:VCARD For simple JSON where keys match VCF fields