MIME Type Lookup

MIME types (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) are a standard way to identify the format and nature of a file. They are used by web servers (in the Content-Type header), browsers, email clients, and operating systems to determine how to handle a file.

A MIME type consists of a type and a subtype, separated by a slash: text/html, image/png, application/json. The type indicates the general category (text, image, audio, video, application), and the subtype specifies the exact format.

Why MIME types matter:

• Web servers must send the correct Content-Type header, or browsers may refuse to load resources (e.g., application/wasm for WebAssembly).
• File uploads rely on MIME type validation to prevent malicious files.
• API responses use application/json to signal JSON data.
• SVG files need image/svg+xml — the wrong type can break rendering or security policies.

This lookup table covers the most commonly encountered MIME types across 14 categories, from web development to system administration and content delivery.

See also: Base64 Encode/Decode · URL Encode/Decode · cURL →Fetch · User Agent Parser