filetype

Infer file type and MIME type of any file/buffer. No external dependencies.

filetype Permissive license MIT AGING ★ 770 v1.2.0 released 2022-11-02

Install

filetype on PyPI

pip

pip install filetype

uv

uv add filetype

poetry

poetry add filetype

Package facts

License	MIT (permissive)
Python support	not specified
Install friction	low — pure-Python wheel
Runtime dependencies	none
Maintenance	aging — 1,380 days since the last release
Last repo commit	2025-05-02
First released	2016-06-19
Popularity	one of the top 1,000 most-downloaded packages on PyPI (30-day window, as of 2026-08-13)
Known vulnerabilities	none known (OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-13)

Evidence: filetype-1.2.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: file, libmagic, magic, infer, numbers, magicnumbers, discovery, mime, type, kind

Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleEnvironment :: Web EnvironmentIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: System AdministratorsLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: SystemTopic :: System :: FilesystemsTopic :: Utilities

About filetype

from the package's own PyPI description — quoted content, verbatim

filetype.py |Build Status| |PyPI| |Pyversions| |API|

Small and dependency free Python package to infer file type and MIME type checking the magic numbers signature of a file or buffer.

This is a Python port from filetype_ Go package.

Features

Simple and friendly API
Supports a wide range_ of file types
Provides file extension and MIME type inference
File discovery by extension or MIME type
File discovery by kind (image, video, audio…)
Pluggable_: add new custom type matchers
Fast_, even processing large files
Only first 261 bytes representing the max file header is required, so you can just pass a list of bytes_
Dependency free (just Python code, no C extensions, no libmagic bindings)
Cross-platform file recognition

Installation

pip install filetype

API

See annotated API reference_.

Examples

Simple file type checking ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. code-block:: python

import filetype

def main():
    kind = filetype.guess('tests/fixtures/sample.jpg')
    if kind is None:
        print('Cannot guess...

Read as markdown · JSON record · Source repository · Homepage

AI interpretation — verify before relying

AI-generated interpretation of the package facts above; every digit, version, license, or vulnerability id it cites is grounded in the facts already shown on this page

Identifies file types and MIME types by examining magic number signatures in file headers, supporting images, videos, audio, archives, documents, and fonts without external dependencies.

Low friction: pure Python with zero runtime dependencies and a single wheel distribution. Maintenance is aging—last release was 2022-11-02 and repository shows no recent activity—but the codebase is stable and marked Production/Stable.

MIT license (permissive) imposes no restrictions on commercial or proprietary use; you may use, modify, and distribute freely provided you retain the license notice.

Usage

pip install filetype==1.2.0

import filetype

kind = filetype.guess('sample.jpg')
if kind:
    print(f'Extension: {kind.extension}, MIME: {kind.mime}')

Verdict: A mature, dependency-free utility for file type detection safe for production use. No known vulnerabilities, permissive MIT licensing, and straightforward installation make it low-risk. Aging maintenance (no releases since 2022-11-02) is not a blocker for a stable library, but users should expect no updates for new formats.

Needs verification

Whether classifier support for Python 3.5–3.9 extends to Python 3.10+ or if compatibility issues exist with newer versions.
Whether the 261-byte file header limit is sufficient for all supported file types or if some require deeper inspection.
How many distinct file types are actually supported across all categories listed in the documentation.

file type detectionmime type inferencemagic number file identificationfile format recognitiondetect file type from bytespython file type checker