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Pitney Bowes' MapInfo Sea Chart format (.bsb)

.bsb file signature | application/octet-stream

NOAA Raster Navigation Chart (RNC®) file (https://charts.noaa.gov/RNCs/RNCs.shtml).See also theBSB/KAP File Formatspecification

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0
1F 9D

Sources: Gary Kessler

All Known Signatures

3 signature variants are documented for .bsb files across multiple sources.

Hex Signature Offset Sources
1F 9D 0 Gary Kessler
1F A0 0 Gary Kessler
21 0D 0A 43 52 52 2F 54 68 69 73 20 65 6C 65 63 74 72 6F 6E 69 63 20 63 68 61 72 74 20 77 61 73 20 70 72 6F 64 75 63 65 64 20 75 6E 64 65 72 20 74 68 65 20 61 75 74 68 6F 72 69 74 79 20 6F 66 20 55 53 41 2D 4E 4F 41 41 2F 4E 4F 53 2E 0D 0A 0 Gary Kessler

Extension

.bsb

MIME Type

application/octet-stream

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .bsb files in Python

Python
def is_bsb(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid BSB by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x1F, 0x9D])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(2) == signature

How to validate .bsb files in Node.js

Node.js
function isBSB(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x1F, 0x9D]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 2).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .bsb files in Go

Go
func IsBSB(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x1F, 0x9D}
    if len(data) < 2 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:2], signature)
}

API Endpoint

GET /api/v1/bsb
curl https://filesignature.org/api/v1/bsb

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .bsb file?

A .bsb file is a Pitney Bowes' MapInfo Sea Chart format file. NOAA Raster Navigation Chart (RNC®) file (https://charts.noaa.gov/RNCs/RNCs.shtml).See also theBSB/KAP File Formatspecification

What are the magic bytes for .bsb files?

The magic bytes for Pitney Bowes' MapInfo Sea Chart format files are 1F 9D at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .bsb file?

To validate a .bsb file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (1F 9D) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .bsb files?

There is no officially registered MIME type for .bsb files. Systems typically use application/octet-stream as a generic fallback when handling this format.

Is it safe to open .bsb files?

Pitney Bowes' MapInfo Sea Chart format (.bsb) files are generally safe to open. They are classified as low risk because they primarily contain data rather than executable code. However, always ensure files come from a trusted source.