In computing, a file type denotes the category to which a computer file belongs. Determining the file type is crucial as it indicates the file’s contents, the program required to open it, and the operations that can be performed on it. In Unix-like operating systems, various commands can be used to check the file type. One common approach is through the ‘file’ command.
The ‘file’ command analyzes the contents of a file and attempts to determine its type based on its magic number or other characteristics. When executed with a file path as an argument, it displays a brief description of the file’s type. This information can be valuable for identifying unknown files or verifying the type of existing ones.