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Madhurima Rawat
Madhurima Rawat

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🌟 Interactive Guide to File Extensions: Descriptions & Tools

#webdev #beginners #programming #tutorial

🚀 Hey Devs! 👋 A warm hello from me to all the awesome developers out there!

We encounter a vast range of file extensions in our daily work, each serving a unique purpose across different domains. To simplify understanding, I’ve created this interactive guide that categorizes these extensions with clear descriptions, relevant tools, and a touch of emojis for quick identification. From documents and programming files to media, databases, and system configurations, this guide provides a structured table format to help you navigate various file types effortlessly. 🚀📂

📌 Table of Contents

  1. 📄 Documents & Spreadsheets
  2. 📚 Jupyter Notebooks
  3. 💻 Programming & Code Files
  4. 🌐 Web & Graphics
  5. ⚙️ Configuration & System Files
  6. 📊 Data & Machine Learning
  7. 🎧🎥 Media Files
  8. 🗂️ Version Control & Git
  9. 🌐 Web Development & Server-side Scripts
  10. 💾 Database Files
  11. ⚙️ Build & Makefiles
  12. 🏢 Compilation & Binaries
  13. 📀 Archives & Compression
  14. 🌐 Fonts & Typography
  15. 🛠️ 3D Models & CAD
  16. 💽 Disk Images

📄 Documents & Spreadsheets

Description: Files used for text documents, reports, presentations, and structured data storage.

This section includes file types like .txt, .md, .docx, .pdf, .xlsx, .csv, .pptx, .odt, .rtf, .latex, etc.

Extension Description 📖 Use Cases 📃 Tools & Technologies 🔧
.txt Plain text file 📄 Notes, logs, configs 🗒️ Notepad++ 📝, VS Code 💻, Nano 📟
.md Markdown file ✍️ Documentation, READMEs 📖 GitHub 🐙, Obsidian 🏗️, Jekyll 🌐
.docx Microsoft Word file 🏛️ Reports, essays, documents 📄 Microsoft Word 🖊️, Google Docs 🌍
.doc Older Word document 🏛️ Legacy MS Word documents 📜 Microsoft Word 🖊️, LibreOffice 🏢
.odt OpenDocument Text 📜 Open-source Word files 🏗️ LibreOffice Writer 🖊️, OpenOffice 📖
.pdf Portable Document Format 📜 Official documents, e-books 📚 Adobe Acrobat 🔍, Foxit Reader 📖
.rtf Rich Text Format 📝 Formatted text documents ✍️ Microsoft Word 🖊️, WordPad 📜
.tex LaTeX file 📑 Academic papers, math docs 📖 TeX Live 📚, Overleaf ✏️, MiKTeX 🏗️
.wpd WordPerfect Document 🏛️ Older word processing docs 📄 WordPerfect 🖊️, LibreOffice 🏢
.xlsx Excel Spreadsheet 📊 Data analysis, finance 💰 Excel 📈, Google Sheets 📊, LibreOffice Calc 🏢
.xls Legacy Excel file 📊 Older Excel spreadsheets 🗃️ Excel 📈, LibreOffice Calc 🏢
.csv Comma-Separated Values 📑 Storing structured data 📊 Pandas 🐼, Excel 📈, CSVKit 🛠️, OpenRefine 🔍
.tsv Tab-Separated Values 📄 Tabular data storage 🗃️ Pandas 🐼, Excel 📈, Notepad++ 📝
.pptx PowerPoint Presentation 🎤 Slideshows, presentations 📽️ PowerPoint 📊, Google Slides 🌍
.ppt Older PowerPoint file 🎞️ Legacy slideshows 📽️ PowerPoint 📊, LibreOffice Impress 🏢
.odp OpenDocument Presentation 🎥 Open-source slideshows 📽️ LibreOffice Impress 🏢, OpenOffice 📖
.pages Apple Pages Document 🍏 Apple document processing 📝 Apple Pages 📖
.key Apple Keynote Presentation 🍏 Apple slideshows 🎤 Apple Keynote 📊
.numbers Apple Numbers Spreadsheet 🍏 Apple spreadsheet files 📈 Apple Numbers 📊
.log Log file 📜 System/application logs 🖥️ Notepad++ 📝, VS Code 💻, Logstash 🔍

📌 Notes:

  • Use .txt for simple notes and .md for documentation.
  • Use .docx, .odt, or .pdf for professional reports.
  • For spreadsheets, .xlsx, .csv, and .tsv are most common.
  • Apple-specific formats (.pages, .key, .numbers) work best in macOS/iOS.

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📚 Jupyter Notebooks

Description: Interactive notebooks 📖 combining code, visualization 📊, and documentation 📝 for data science, machine learning 🤖, and research 🔬.

Used for .ipynb files in data science, machine learning, and computational research.

Extension Description 📖 Use Cases 🎯 Tools 🛠️
.ipynb Jupyter Notebook 📓 Data science, ML research 🤖 Jupyter Notebook, Google Colab
.ipynb_checkpoints Notebook checkpoint 🔄 Auto-saved versions 📝 Jupyter Notebook
.nbconvert Notebook conversion 🔁 Exporting to HTML, PDF 📄 Jupyter nbconvert
.nblink Jupyter Notebook link 🔗 Linking external notebooks 🌍 Jupyter Notebook, JupyterLab
.json Notebook metadata ⚙️ Storing execution history 📊 Jupyter Notebook internals

📌 Notes:

  • .ipynb is the primary format for Jupyter Notebooks, containing both code 💻 and markdown 📄.
  • .ipynb_checkpoints are automatically created 🔄 to prevent data loss.
  • .nbconvert allows exporting notebooks to different formats like HTML 🌐, LaTeX 📜, and PDF 📄.
  • .nblink is used in JupyterLab to reference external notebooks 🔗.

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💻 Programming & Code Files

Description: Used for software development, web development, scripting, and automation.

Includes .py, .java, .c, .cpp, .html, .css, .js, .rb, .swift, .ts, .dart, .r, .scala, .pl, etc.

Extension Description 💾 Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.py Python script 🐍 AI, automation, backend PyCharm, Jupyter, VS Code
.java Java source file ☕ Enterprise apps, Android dev IntelliJ, Eclipse, NetBeans
.c C source file 🔵 Low-level programming, OS dev GCC, Clang, CodeBlocks
.cpp C++ source file 🚀 High-performance apps, gaming Visual Studio, CMake
.html HTML file 🌍 Structuring web pages VS Code, Chrome DevTools
.css CSS file 🎨 Styling web pages Tailwind, Bootstrap, Sass
.js JavaScript file ⚡ Frontend & backend scripting Node.js, React, Angular
.ts TypeScript file 🔵 Safer JavaScript VS Code, Angular, Deno
.r R script 📊 Data science, statistics RStudio, Jupyter Notebook
.scala Scala source file 🔴 Scalable applications IntelliJ, Scala IDE
.dart Dart source file 🎯 Flutter mobile apps Dart SDK, Flutter
.rb Ruby script 💎 Web development, scripting RubyMine, VS Code
.swift Swift source file 🍏 iOS/macOS development Xcode, Swift Playgrounds
.go Go source file 🏎️ Cloud computing, networking GoLand, VS Code, Go Compiler
.rs Rust source file 🦀 Systems programming, safety Rust Compiler, Cargo, Clippy
.lua Lua script 🕹️ Game development, scripting Lua, Love2D, Corona SDK
.pl Perl script 🐪 Text processing, sys admin Perl, Strawberry Perl, Padre
.sh Shell script 🖥️ Linux automation Bash, Zsh, Terminal
.bat Batch script 📝 Windows automation CMD, PowerShell

📌 Notes:

  • .py is widely used for automation 🤖, AI 🤯, and backend development.
  • .java powers enterprise applications 🏢 and Android development 📱.
  • .cpp is preferred for high-performance applications 🚀 like gaming and system software.
  • .sh and .bat automate system tasks 🛠️, with .sh for Linux/macOS and .bat for Windows.

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🌐 Web & Graphics

Description: This section covers popular image formats used for the web, UI design, and digital graphics. Formats vary in compression, scalability, and transparency support.

Covers .png, .jpg, .svg, .gif, .webp, .ico, .tiff, .bmp, etc.

Extension Description 🖼️ Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.png High-quality images 🌆 Transparency, UI elements Photoshop, GIMP, Figma
.jpg Compressed images 📷 Photographs, web graphics Photoshop, Lightroom
.webp Web-optimized images 🌎 Fast-loading web graphics Squoosh, WebP Converter
.svg Scalable vector graphics 🎨 Icons, logos Illustrator, Inkscape
.gif Animated images 🎞️ Simple animations, memes Photoshop, GIMP, Ezgif
.ico Icon file 🏠 Website favicons, app icons IcoFX, Photoshop, GIMP
.tiff Lossless raster images 🖼️ High-quality prints Photoshop, Lightroom
.bmp Bitmap image 📏 Uncompressed image storage MS Paint, Photoshop
.psd Photoshop document 🎭 Layered image editing Adobe Photoshop
.ai Adobe Illustrator file 🖋️ Vector graphics, logos Adobe Illustrator

📌 Notes:

  • .png supports transparency 🎭, making it ideal for UI elements and logos.
  • .jpg uses lossy compression 📷, best for high-quality photos with small file sizes.
  • .webp is optimized for web performance 🚀, offering better compression than PNG and JPG.
  • .svg is resolution-independent 📏, perfect for icons and scalable graphics.

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⚙️ Configuration & System Files

Description: Used for configuring applications, defining settings, and automating system processes.

Includes .ini, .cfg, .toml, .yaml, .sh, .bat, .conf, .editorconfig, etc.

Extension Description ⚙️ Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.ini Initialization file 🛠️ App settings, preferences Notepad++, VS Code
.cfg Configuration file ⚙️ Software & system configs Any text editor
.toml TOML config file 📜 Readable configuration VS Code, Sublime Text
.yaml YAML config file 📄 Human-readable settings PyYAML, Kubernetes, Ansible
.json JSON settings file 🔄 APIs, web configs VS Code, Postman, jq
.xml XML configuration 📜 Web & software settings Notepad++, XML Notepad
.sh Shell script 🖥️ Linux/macOS automation Bash, Zsh, Terminal
.bat Batch script 📝 Windows automation CMD, PowerShell
.conf System config file ⚙️ Linux system settings Vim, Nano, VS Code
.editorconfig Code style settings 🖋️ Formatting rules EditorConfig Plugin

📌 Notes:

  • .ini and .cfg are commonly used for app configurations ⚙️.
  • .toml and .yaml offer structured, human-readable settings 📄.
  • .json is widely used for API settings and web applications 🔄.
  • .sh automates tasks in Linux/macOS 🖥️, while .bat does the same for Windows 📝.

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📊 Data & Machine Learning

Description: Used for storing, processing, and exchanging structured, semi-structured, and machine learning data.

Includes .json, .xml, .log, .parquet, .data, .pkl, .h5, .csv.gz, .joblib, .feather, .avro, .orc, etc.

Extension Description 📊 Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.json JavaScript Object Notation 📜 Storing structured data Python, MongoDB, API calls
.xml Extensible Markup Language 📑 Configs, data exchange XPath, XSLT, XMLParser
.log Log file 📖 System & app logs ELK Stack, Splunk
.csv Comma-Separated Values 📄 Tabular data storage Excel, Pandas, Google Sheets
.csv.gz Compressed CSV 📦 Large datasets Pandas, gzip, Spark
.parquet Columnar data format 📈 Big data processing Apache Spark, Pandas
.orc Optimized Row Column format 🏗️ High-performance data Apache Hive, Spark
.avro Apache Avro format 🔄 Data serialization Hadoop, Apache Kafka
.feather Fast binary format ⚡ High-speed data loading Pandas, Apache Arrow
.pkl Python pickle 🥒 Storing ML models Scikit-learn, Pandas
.joblib Joblib serialization 📦 Large ML models Joblib, Scikit-learn
.h5 HDF5 format 📊 Deep learning datasets TensorFlow, H5py
.npy NumPy binary format 🔢 Numerical data storage NumPy, TensorFlow
.data General data format 📂 Custom data storage Various ML libraries

📌 Notes:

  • .json and .xml are widely used for structured data storage and APIs 📜.
  • .parquet and .orc are optimized for big data analytics 📈.
  • .pkl and .joblib store ML models 🧠, with joblib preferred for large models.
  • .h5 and .npy are used in deep learning and numerical computing 📊.

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🎧🎥 Media Files

Description: Used for storing, streaming, and playing audio and video content in various formats.

Includes .mp4, .mp3, .wav, .flac, .mov, .avi, .mkv, .webm, .aac, .ogg, .m4a, .flv, .3gp, .ts, etc.

Extension Description 🎬🎵 Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.mp4 MP4 Video File 📽️ Streaming, online videos VLC, FFmpeg, Adobe Premiere Pro
.mp3 MP3 Audio File 🎵 Music, podcasts VLC, Audacity, iTunes
.wav WAV Audio File 🎼 High-quality sound Audacity, FL Studio, Logic Pro
.flac FLAC Audio File 🎶 Lossless music storage VLC, Foobar2000, Audacity
.aac AAC Audio File 🎙️ Apple music format iTunes, QuickTime, Audacity
.ogg Ogg Vorbis Audio 🎧 Open-source alternative VLC, Audacity
.wma Windows Media Audio 🔊 Windows music playback Windows Media Player, VLC
.m4a M4A Audio File 🎵 iTunes music format Apple Music, QuickTime
.opus Opus Audio Format 🎤 Voice recording, streaming Discord, WhatsApp, FFmpeg
.mov QuickTime Movie 🎬 Apple video format QuickTime, Final Cut Pro
.avi AVI Video File 📹 Windows video format VLC, Windows Media Player
.mkv Matroska Video File 🎞️ High-quality HD videos VLC, MKVToolNix
.webm WebM Video File 🌍 Web streaming format YouTube, FFmpeg, Chrome
.flv Flash Video File 📺 Older web videos Adobe Flash Player (deprecated)
.3gp 3GPP Video File 📱 Mobile videos VLC, QuickTime
.ts MPEG Transport Stream 📡 Broadcast, IPTV VLC, FFmpeg
.rm RealMedia File 🎥 Older streaming format RealPlayer
.m4v Apple Video Format 🍏 iTunes video files QuickTime, iTunes

📌 Notes:

  • .mp4 is the most widely supported video format 📽️, ideal for streaming and downloads.
  • .mp3 is the standard for compressed audio 🎵, while .flac provides lossless quality.
  • .mkv supports multiple audio and subtitle tracks 🎞️, great for HD videos.
  • .webm is optimized for web streaming 🌍, commonly used on YouTube.

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🗂️ Version Control & Git

Description: Files used for managing Git repositories, tracking changes, configuring settings, and automating workflows.

Includes .gitignore, .gitattributes, .mailmap, .gitmodules, .gitconfig, .gitkeep, .commit_msg, .pre-commit, etc.

Extension Description 🔄 Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.gitignore Git Ignore File 🚫 Excluding files from Git tracking Git, GitHub, GitLab
.gitattributes Git Attributes 📜 Defining Git behaviors for files Git, GitHub, Bitbucket
.mailmap Mailmap File 📧 Standardizing author names in Git logs Git
.gitmodules Git Submodules 🔗 Managing sub-repositories within a repo Git CLI
.gitkeep Placeholder File 📁 Keeping empty folders in Git Git
.gitconfig Git Configuration ⚙️ User settings for Git Git CLI, GitHub Desktop
.pack Packed Git Objects 📦 Optimized storage for Git data Git Internals
.idx Git Index File 🏗️ Indexing Git objects for performance Git Internals
.commit_msg Commit Message Template ✍️ Standardizing commit messages Git Hooks
.pre-commit Pre-commit Hook 🔄 Running checks before committing Pre-commit, Git Hooks
.rebase-merge Git Rebase State 📌 Tracking rebase process Git Rebase
.merge_msg Merge Commit Message ✏️ Auto-generated message for merges Git CLI

📌 Notes:

  • .gitignore prevents unnecessary files from being tracked 🚫, like logs and dependencies.
  • .gitattributes customizes how Git handles specific files 📜, useful for line endings and binary files.
  • .gitmodules manages submodules 🔗, enabling repositories within repositories.
  • .pre-commit automates code checks 🔄 before committing, improving code quality.

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🌐 Web Development & Server-side Scripts

Description: Server-side scripting and templating languages used to generate dynamic web content and manage backend logic.

Includes .php, .asp, .jsp, .ejs, .erb, .py, .rb, .cgi, .cshtml, .aspx, .vue, .svelte, .twig, .liquid, .hbs, .pug, .njk, .gohtml, .ts, .scss, .less, .styl, etc.

Extension Description 🌍 Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.php PHP script 🐘 Server-side scripting PHP, Laravel, WordPress
.asp Active Server Pages 📄 Microsoft web applications ASP.NET, IIS
.jsp Java Server Pages ☕ Java-based web apps Tomcat, Spring Boot
.ejs Embedded JavaScript 📝 Templating for Node.js Express.js, Next.js
.erb Embedded Ruby 🖍️ Ruby on Rails templating Ruby on Rails
.py Python Server Script 🐍 Web frameworks Django, Flask, FastAPI
.rb Ruby Script 💎 Web applications Sinatra, Ruby on Rails
.cgi Common Gateway Interface 📡 Legacy server-side scripting Apache CGI, Perl
.cshtml Razor View Engine 🏗️ ASP.NET MVC templates ASP.NET Core
.aspx ASP.NET Web Page 🏛️ Web applications ASP.NET, IIS
.vue Vue.js Component 🎨 Frontend UI components Vue.js, Nuxt.js
.svelte Svelte Component 🚀 Lightweight UI components Svelte
.twig Twig Templating Engine 🍃 PHP templates Symfony, Drupal
.liquid Liquid Templating 🌊 Shopify, Jekyll templates Shopify, Jekyll
.hbs Handlebars Templating 🔥 Dynamic HTML generation Handlebars.js
.pug Pug Templating ✏️ HTML preprocessor Pug.js
.njk Nunjucks Templating 📜 Static site generation Nunjucks
.gohtml Go Templating 🏗️ Go web applications Golang, Hugo
.ts TypeScript Script 🚀 Scalable frontend & backend Angular, Deno, NestJS
.scss Sass Stylesheet 🎨 Advanced CSS preprocessor Sass, Bootstrap
.less LESS Stylesheet 💄 CSS preprocessor LESS
.styl Stylus Stylesheet ✏️ CSS preprocessor Stylus

📌 Notes:

  • .php, .jsp, and .asp handle backend logic and dynamic content generation 🖥️.
  • .ejs, .pug, and .hbs are used for server-side HTML templating 📜.
  • .vue, .svelte, and .gohtml power modern UI components 🎨.
  • .scss, .less, and .styl are CSS preprocessors for enhanced styling capabilities 💄.

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💾 Database Files

Description: Files used for storing, managing, and backing up structured and unstructured database data.

Includes .db, .sqlite, .sql, .mdb, .accdb, .frm, .ibd, .myd, .mdf, .ldf, .dmp, .bak, .json, .bson, .cql, .rdb, .rocksdb, .dbf, .kdbx, etc.

Extension Description 🏛️ Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.db Generic database file 📂 Storing structured data SQLite, DB Browser
.sqlite SQLite database 📀 Lightweight database SQLite CLI, DB Browser
.sql SQL script file 📝 Database queries, schema MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle
.mdb Microsoft Access DB 📊 Windows-based database MS Access, MDB Viewer
.accdb Access Database (New) 📑 MS Access newer format MS Access
.frm MySQL Table Format 📜 MySQL table definitions MySQL, MariaDB
.ibd InnoDB Storage File 🏗️ MySQL InnoDB tables MySQL, InnoDB
.myd MyISAM Data File 📊 MySQL table storage MySQL, MariaDB
.myi MyISAM Index File 🔎 MySQL table indexes MySQL, MariaDB
.ndf SQL Server Data File 🏢 Secondary DB storage Microsoft SQL Server
.mdf SQL Server Master DB 📂 Primary database file Microsoft SQL Server
.ldf SQL Server Log File 📝 Transaction logging Microsoft SQL Server
.dmp Database Dump 📦 Database backups Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL
.bak Backup File 🔄 Database restoration Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL
.tar.gz Compressed DB Backup 📁 Database migration PostgreSQL, MongoDB
.json NoSQL Data Storage 🌐 Document-based databases MongoDB, Firebase
.bson Binary JSON Format 📦 MongoDB storage format MongoDB
.cql Cassandra Query File 📜 NoSQL distributed DB Apache Cassandra
.rdb Redis Database Dump 🔥 In-memory key-value store Redis
.rocksdb RocksDB Storage 📊 High-performance storage engine RocksDB
.dbf dBase Database 📋 Legacy database files FoxPro, dBase
.kdbx KeePass Database 🔐 Encrypted password storage KeePass, KeePassXC

📌 Notes:

  • .sqlite and .db are lightweight database formats 📂, ideal for small applications.
  • .sql, .dmp, and .bak store database queries and backups 📝 for migrations and recovery.
  • .json and .bson are used in NoSQL databases 🌐, such as MongoDB and Firebase.
  • .rdb and .rocksdb are optimized for fast in-memory storage 🔥.

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⚙️ Build & Makefiles

Description: Files used for automating software builds, managing dependencies, and defining project compilation rules.

Includes .makefile, .cmake, .kconfig, .kbuild, .ninja, .gradle, .maven, .bazel, .scons, .meson, .waf, .xcodeproj, .xcworkspace, .vsproj, .sln, .mk, etc.

Extension Description 🏗️ Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.makefile Make build script ⚙️ Automating project builds GNU Make, BSD Make
.cmake CMake script 🏗️ Cross-platform build automation CMake, Ninja
.kconfig Kernel Config 📑 Linux kernel configuration Linux Kernel, menuconfig
.kbuild Kernel Build Rules 🔧 Linux kernel build system GNU Make, Linux Kernel
.ninja Ninja Build Script ⚡ High-performance build automation Ninja
.gradle Gradle Build Script 📜 Java, Android builds Gradle, Android Studio
.maven Apache Maven Build 🏗️ Java project builds Apache Maven
.bazel Bazel Build Script 🏗️ Scalable software builds Bazel
.scons SCons Build Script 🏗️ Software construction tool SCons
.meson Meson Build Script 🚀 Fast, maintainable builds Meson
.waf Waf Build System 🔧 Python-based build system Waf
.xcodeproj Xcode Project File 🍏 macOS/iOS development Xcode
.xcworkspace Xcode Workspace 📦 Multi-project Xcode setups Xcode
.vsproj Visual Studio Project 🎯 Windows application development Visual Studio
.sln Visual Studio Solution 📦 Multi-project VS setups Visual Studio
.mk Makefile Extension 🏗️ Project-specific build rules GNU Make

📌 Notes:

  • .makefile and .mk automate project builds using GNU Make ⚙️.
  • .cmake and .ninja are widely used for cross-platform compilation 🏗️.
  • .gradle and .maven manage Java and Android project builds 📜.
  • .xcodeproj and .vsproj define project structures for macOS/iOS and Windows development 🍏🎯.

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🏢 Compilation & Binaries

Description: Compiled and executable files used for software deployment, system libraries, and firmware.

Includes .o, .so, .dll, .exe, .bin, .hex, .elf, .app, .dylib, .out, .a, .class, .jar, .war, .ear, .msi, .apk, .dex, .ipa, .wasm, .bc, .mod, .img, etc.

Extension Description 🏗️ Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.o Object file 📦 Intermediate compilation output GCC, Clang, MSVC
.so Shared object file 🔄 Linux dynamic libraries GCC, Clang, ELF binaries
.dll Dynamic Link Library 🖥️ Windows system libraries Windows API, MSVC, MinGW
.exe Executable file 🚀 Windows applications Visual Studio, MinGW, Wine
.bin Binary file 💾 Raw machine code or firmware objcopy, binwalk
.hex Intel HEX file 📟 Embedded systems, firmware Keil, AVRDUDE, Hex Editor
.elf Executable & Linkable Format 📜 Linux binary executables GCC, GDB, objdump
.app macOS Application 🍏 macOS software packages Xcode, macOS Finder
.dylib Dynamic Library 📚 macOS shared libraries Xcode, macOS Terminal
.out Linux Executable 🏗️ Default compiled executable GCC, Clang
.a Static Library 🏛️ Precompiled code libraries ar, ranlib, GCC
.class Java Compiled Bytecode ☕ JVM execution javac, JVM
.jar Java Archive 🎭 Packaged Java applications JDK, Maven, Gradle
.war Web Archive 🌍 Java web applications Tomcat, WildFly
.ear Enterprise Archive 🏢 Java EE applications JBoss, WebSphere
.msi Windows Installer 📦 Windows software installation Windows Installer
.apk Android Package 📱 Android apps Android Studio, APKTool
.dex Dalvik Executable 🏗️ Android runtime dx, Android SDK
.ipa iOS App Package 📱 iOS applications Xcode, iTunes
.wasm WebAssembly File 🌐 Running code in browsers Emscripten, WebAssembly Runtime
.bc LLVM Bitcode ⚙️ Intermediate LLVM format Clang, LLVM
.mod Fortran Module 📐 Compiled Fortran code GNU Fortran, Intel Fortran
.img Bootable Disk Image 💽 System images, embedded OS dd, Etcher, Balena

📌 Notes:

  • .o, .a, and .so are used in compiled programming for linking binaries 📦.
  • .exe, .msi, and .app are executable formats for Windows and macOS 🚀.
  • .apk and .ipa store mobile applications for Android and iOS 📱.
  • .wasm enables running high-performance code inside browsers 🌐.

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📀 Archives & Compression

Description: Compressed file formats used for reducing storage size, bundling multiple files, and packaging software.

Includes .zip, .tar, .gz, .bz2, .7z, .rar, .xz, .iso, .vhd, .dmg, .img, .pkg, .appimage, etc.

Extension Description 📦 Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.zip ZIP compressed file 📦 Storing multiple files WinRAR, 7-Zip, macOS Archive Utility
.tar TAR archive 🎞️ Linux backups tar, gzip
.gz Gzip compression 🗜️ Web assets, logs gzip, gunzip
.7z 7-Zip compression 📂 High-ratio compression 7-Zip, WinRAR
.rar RAR archive 📚 File compression & storage WinRAR, PeaZip
.bz2 Bzip2 compression 📉 Higher compression efficiency bzip2, WinRAR
.xz XZ compression 🚀 Efficient Linux compression xz, tar.xz
.tar.gz Gzipped TAR archive 🎞️ Combining multiple compressed files tar, gzip
.tar.bz2 Bzip2-compressed TAR 📚 High-compression Linux archive tar, bzip2
.tar.xz XZ-compressed TAR 🚀 Maximum compression tar, xz
.lzma LZMA compression 🔄 High-ratio compression 7-Zip, LZMA Utils
.zst Zstandard compression ⚡ Fast compression with small size zstd, tar.zst
.cab Cabinet archive 📂 Windows installation files Windows Installer, cabextract
.iso ISO disk image 💿 Bootable OS images Rufus, VirtualBox
.vhd Virtual Hard Disk 💾 Windows virtual machines Hyper-V, VirtualBox
.dmg macOS Disk Image 🍏 macOS app distribution Disk Utility, TransMac
.img Raw disk image 💽 System backups, embedded OS Win32 Disk Imager, Etcher
.pkg macOS Installer Package 📦 macOS software installation Installer.app
.xpi Mozilla Extension Archive 🦊 Firefox & Thunderbird add-ons Mozilla Firefox
.appimage Linux AppImage 🔗 Portable Linux applications AppImageLauncher

📌 Notes:

  • .zip and .rar are common for file compression and storage 📂.
  • .tar.gz, .tar.bz2, and .tar.xz are widely used in Linux systems 🎞️.
  • .iso and .img store disk images for OS installations 💿.
  • .appimage provides a portable application format for Linux 🔗.

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🌐 Fonts & Typography

Description: Font file formats used for system fonts, web typography, and professional publishing.

Includes .ttf, .otf, .woff, .woff2, .eot, .pfb, .pfm, .bdf, .fnt, .psf, .sfd, .svg, etc.

Extension Description 🔤 Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.ttf TrueType Font 🅰️ Scalable system & web fonts Windows, macOS, Linux, Adobe Fonts
.otf OpenType Font 🔡 Advanced typography, ligatures Adobe Fonts, Microsoft Fonts
.woff Web Open Font Format 🌍 Web-optimized fonts CSS @font-face, Google Fonts
.woff2 Web Open Font Format 2 🚀 Faster, compressed web fonts Google Fonts, CSS @font-face
.eot Embedded OpenType 📜 Legacy web fonts (IE) Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer
.pfb PostScript Font Binary 📄 Professional publishing Adobe Type Manager, LaTeX
.pfm Printer Font Metrics 📏 Paired with .pfb fonts Adobe Type Manager
.bdf Bitmap Distribution Format 📟 Low-resolution screen fonts X Window System, GNU Unifont
.fnt Windows Font File 🖥️ Older Windows fonts Windows Font Viewer
.psf PC Screen Font 🖥️ Console fonts for Linux Linux Kernel, GRUB
.sfd Spline Font Database ✍️ Font editing & creation FontForge
.svg SVG Font 🖌️ Scalable vector-based fonts Web design, CSS

📌 Notes:

  • .ttf and .otf are the most widely used fonts for system and web typography 🅰️.
  • .woff and .woff2 are optimized for web use, providing faster loading speeds 🌍.
  • .eot is primarily used for compatibility with older Microsoft browsers 📜.
  • .pfb and .pfm are commonly used in professional publishing and LaTeX documents 📄.

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🛠️ 3D Models & CAD

Description: File formats used in 3D modeling, CAD software, 3D printing, animation, and architectural design.

Includes .dwg, .dxf, .stl, .obj, .step, .iges, .3mf, .skp, .fbx, .glb, .gltf, .blend, .x3d, .u3d, .c4d, .max, etc.

Extension Description 🏗️ Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.dwg AutoCAD Drawing 📐 2D & 3D engineering designs AutoCAD, DraftSight
.dxf Drawing Exchange Format 📏 CAD data exchange AutoCAD, LibreCAD, Fusion 360
.stl Stereolithography 🌐 3D printing, rapid prototyping Cura, PrusaSlicer, Blender
.obj 3D Object File 🎭 3D modeling & game assets Blender, Maya, 3ds Max
.step STEP Model File 🏗️ CAD model exchange SolidWorks, CATIA, FreeCAD
.iges IGES Model File 📏 CAD data interoperability SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Rhino
.3mf 3D Manufacturing Format 🖨️ Modern 3D printing Ultimaker Cura, Microsoft 3D Builder
.skp SketchUp Model 🏠 Architectural & interior design SketchUp
.fbx Filmbox 3D Model 🎬 Game engines & animations Autodesk FBX, Unity, Unreal Engine
.glb GL Transmission Format 🌍 Web & AR/VR 3D models Babylon.js, Three.js
.gltf GL Transmission Format Text 🌍 Web 3D model storage Blender, Sketchfab
.blend Blender File 🎨 3D modeling & animation Blender
.x3d Extensible 3D Graphics 📊 3D web graphics X3DOM, FreeWRL
.u3d Universal 3D File 🔄 Interactive 3D PDFs Adobe Acrobat 3D
.c4d Cinema 4D Model 🎬 High-end 3D motion graphics Cinema 4D
.max 3ds Max Scene 📽️ Game development & VFX Autodesk 3ds Max

📌 Notes:

  • .dwg and .dxf are widely used for CAD drawings and engineering designs 📐.
  • .stl, .3mf, and .obj are essential for 3D printing and modeling 🌐.
  • .fbx, .gltf, and .glb are commonly used for game engines and AR/VR 🌍.
  • .blend and .c4d are ideal for 3D animation and visual effects 🎨.

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💽 Disk Images

Description: Disk image file formats used for virtual machines, OS installations, and bootable storage.

Includes .iso, .vmdk, .qcow2, .img, .dmg, .vhd, .vhdx, .xva, .vdi, .efi, .wim, .esd, .sparseimage, .toast, .nrg, etc.

Extension Description 💾 Best For 🎯 Tools & Technologies 🛠️
.iso ISO disk image 💿 Bootable OS images Rufus, VirtualBox, Balena Etcher
.vmdk VMware disk image 💾 Virtual machines VMware Workstation, ESXi
.qcow2 QEMU disk image 🔄 Cloud & VM storage QEMU, OpenStack
.img Raw disk image 🏷️ Raspberry Pi, Bootable USBs Win32DiskImager, dd (Linux)
.dmg macOS disk image 🍏 macOS application installations Disk Utility (macOS), TransMac
.vhd Virtual Hard Disk 📀 Microsoft Virtual PC, Hyper-V Hyper-V, VirtualBox
.vhdx Virtual Hard Disk (Newer) 📀 Windows virtual machines Hyper-V
.xva XenServer image 🔧 XenServer VMs Xen Orchestra, Citrix XenServer
.vdi VirtualBox Disk Image 🖥️ VirtualBox virtual machines VirtualBox
.efi EFI Boot image ⚙️ Boot firmware images UEFI firmware updates
.wim Windows Imaging Format 🖥️ Windows deployment & recovery DISM, Windows ADK
.esd Windows Electronic Software Download 📦 Windows updates & installations DISM, Windows Media Creation Tool
.sparseimage macOS Sparse Disk Image 📂 Dynamically growing disk images Disk Utility (macOS)
.toast Roxio Toast Disk Image 🔥 macOS CD/DVD disk images Roxio Toast
.nrg Nero Disk Image 📀 Optical disc backup Nero Burning ROM

📌 Notes:

  • .iso is the most common format for OS installations and bootable disks 💿.
  • .vmdk, .qcow2, and .vdi are widely used in virtual machine environments 💾.
  • .wim and .esd are specific to Windows deployments and updates 🖥️.
  • .dmg and .sparseimage are used for macOS applications and storage 🍏.

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🔗 Links to More Resources

I’ve put a lot of hard work into writing this post, organizing everything into a Gist, and even creating a PDF version for easy access. If you found it helpful, please support me by starring ⭐ this post and my Gist—it would mean a lot! ❤️

Comments and feedback are more than welcome! 💬 Let me know if you liked this, found it useful, or have any suggestions. Your input helps make this guide even better! 🚀✨

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Top comments (2)

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moopet profile image
Ben Sinclair •

What's the "interactive" part?

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madhurima_rawat profile image
Madhurima Rawat •

It’s the use of emojis! I thought they’d make interactions smoother—like 💽 for Disk Images and 🛠️ for 3D Models & CAD, so you can understand at a glance. If you have ideas on making it more interactive, let me know!