MIME Types Lookup Tool

MIME Types Lookup Tool | Kloudbean Developer Tools

Search for MIME types by file extension or look up file extensions by MIME type.

Extension to MIME MIME to Extension

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Extension	MIME Type	Description

Type a file extension or MIME type and click "Lookup" to see results

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How to Use the MIME Types Lookup Tool

1

Choose your search mode

Use the toggle switch to select between:

Extension to MIME - To find the MIME type for a specific file extension
MIME to Extension - To discover which file extensions are associated with a MIME type

2

Enter your search term

Depending on your selected mode, enter either:

A file extension without the dot (e.g., jpg, pdf, docx)
A MIME type (e.g., image/jpeg, application/pdf)

3

Review the results

The tool will display:

The file extension
The corresponding MIME type
A description of the file format

If multiple extensions match a MIME type, all will be displayed.

4

Use in your projects

Apply the found MIME types in various scenarios:

Setting Content-Type headers in HTTP responses
Configuring web server MIME mappings
Validating file uploads
Troubleshooting media display issues

Practical Examples of MIME Type Usage

HTTP Response Header

Setting the correct Content-Type header in Node.js:

response.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/pdf');
response.send(pdfData);

HTML5 Download Attribute

Creating a download link with the proper MIME type:

<a href="data:image/jpeg;base64,DATA" download="image.jpg">Download Image</a>

Apache Server Configuration

Adding a MIME type in .htaccess:

AddType application/json .json
AddType text/csv .csv

File Upload Validation

Validating file uploads by MIME type:

if (file.mimetype === 'image/png' ||
file.mimetype === 'image/jpeg') {
// Process image
}

Why MIME Types Matter to Developers

Browser Rendering

MIME types tell browsers how to interpret and display different file types, preventing content rendering issues.

API Communication

Enables clients and servers to correctly interpret data exchanged in REST and GraphQL APIs.

Security

Helps prevent security vulnerabilities by ensuring files are processed according to their actual type.

Media Handling

Essential for correctly streaming audio and video content with proper codecs and formats.

Common Use Cases for MIME Types in Web Development

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): Setting correct MIME types for assets delivered through CDNs ensures they load properly across all browsers and devices.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): Proper MIME configuration is essential for service workers and cached resources in offline-capable applications.
File Upload Systems: Validating the actual content of uploaded files by checking MIME types helps prevent malicious file uploads.
Email Attachments: Sending files as email attachments requires correct MIME type specification for proper handling by email clients.
Data URIs: Embedding images or other binary data directly in HTML/CSS using proper MIME types in the data URI schema.

Connection to Cloud Hosting

When hosting web applications in the cloud, MIME type configuration is a critical aspect of your server setup. Incorrect MIME types can lead to resources being served incorrectly, causing broken functionality or security issues. Kloudbean's managed cloud hosting services ensure your web server is properly configured with appropriate MIME types for all common file formats, saving you time and preventing potential issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can a single file extension have multiple MIME types?
Yes, in some cases a file extension can be associated with multiple MIME types. For example, the .xml extension can be served as either application/xml or text/xml depending on the context.

Q. What's the difference between MIME type and Content-Type?
Content-Type is the HTTP header field that uses MIME types to tell clients how to interpret the body of an HTTP message. The Content-Type value is a MIME type.

Q. Are MIME types case-sensitive?
No, MIME types are case-insensitive, though they are conventionally written in lowercase (e.g., "image/jpeg" rather than "Image/JPEG").

Q. How do I determine the MIME type of a file programmatically?
Most programming languages offer libraries to detect MIME types based on file content (not just extension). For example, JavaScript has the FileReader API, PHP has the Fileinfo extension, and Python has the mimetypes module.

Q. What should I do if my file type isn't found in this lookup tool?
For less common file types, consult the IANA Media Types registry, which is the official source for all registered MIME types.

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