Executables
Files that are designed to run on computer hardware such as business software or an operating system file.Databases
Databases store their data in binary files. Exceptions exist such as simple flat file databases.Application Data
Application data, or app data, is information generated by software that isn't stored in a database but rather in a file. For example, an email client may store communications in a binary data file.Media
Media files such as video and images are binary.Documents
Documents produced by office productivity software. Text file documents are also possible such as a spreadsheet stored as comma separated values.Configuration
It is most common to store configuration files as text. However, binary based configuration systems are also reasonably common. For example, some operating systems store configuration as binary that requires a specialized editor to access.Libraries
A library file is a tool used by an executable file. For example, a library might provide software with network access.Drivers
Files that are used to operate a device. Drivers provide services to libraries and executables. For example, a video card driver provides services to a library for displaying a user interface.Encryption & Compression
Encryption and compression typically produce binary files even when the input is text.| Overview: Binary File | ||
Type | ||
Definition (1) | A file that isn't a text file. | |
Definition (2) | A file that contains binary data that can include any sequence of 0s and 1s. | |
Related Concepts | ||
