MIME Type Lookup

A MIME type (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions type) is a standard that indicates the nature and format of a file. It consists of a type and subtype separated by a slash, such as text/html or image/png. MIME types are used by web browsers, servers, and email clients to understand how to handle different file formats.

MIME types are used in HTTP Content-Type headers to tell browsers what kind of data is being sent, in email attachments to identify file formats, in web server configurations to serve files correctly, and in HTML <link> and <script> tags. They are essential for the web to function correctly.

A file extension (like .html or .jpg) is a suffix in the filename that helps operating systems identify the file type. A MIME type (like text/html or image/jpeg) is a formal identifier used in internet protocols. While they often correspond, MIME types are more reliable for determining content type because file extensions can be changed or missing.

application/octet-stream is a generic MIME type for binary data when the specific type is unknown. It is the default MIME type for files that do not have a more specific type. When a browser encounters this type, it typically downloads the file rather than displaying it inline.

For JSON API responses, use application/json. This tells clients that the response body contains JSON data. For JSON-LD (Linked Data), use application/ld+json. Some older APIs use text/json, but application/json is the standard and recommended type defined in RFC 8259.