To send binary files through certain systems (such as email) that do not allow all data values, they are often translated into a plain text representation (using, for example, Base64). Also, files containing public-key and private-key information for use in systems employing asymmetric cryptography (such as website certificates) may also be stored with the binary information encoded in printable characters. This is often necessary due to the limitations of network protocols used for internet browsing and e-mail communication. When sending binary files over the network they may be encoded so that they use only printable characters. If a binary file does not contain any headers, it may be called a flat binary file.Ī text file may consist partly or entirely of encoded binary information. The leading bytes of the header would contain text like GIF87a or GIF89a that can identify the binary as a GIF file. For example, a GIF file can contain multiple images, and headers are used to identify and describe each block of image data. The header often contains a signature or magic number which can identify the format. Some binary files contain headers, blocks of metadata used by a computer program to interpret the data in the file. – in short, any type of file content whatsoever. But binary files can also mean that they contain images, sounds, compressed versions of other files, etc. Compiled computer programs are typical examples indeed, compiled applications are sometimes referred to, particularly by programmers, as binaries. Binary files typically contain bytes that are intended to be interpreted as something other than text characters. Structure īinary files are usually thought of as being a sequence of bytes, which means the binary digits ( bits) are grouped in eights. Many binary file formats contain parts that can be interpreted as text for example, some computer document files containing formatted text, such as older Microsoft Word document files, contain the text of the document but also contain formatting information in binary form. The term "binary file" is often used as a term meaning "non-text file". The first column numerates the line's starting address, while the * indicates repetition.Ī binary file is a computer file that is not a text file. JSTOR ( April 2013) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ī hex dump of the 318 byte Wikipedia favicon, or. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.
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