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DIFF (.diff)

.diff file signature | text/x-diff

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0
64 69 66 66 20

Sources: Apache Tika

All Known Signatures

5 signature variants are documented for .diff files across multiple sources.

Hex Signature Offset Sources
64 69 66 66 20 0 Apache Tika
2A 2A 2A 20 0 Apache Tika
4F 6E 6C 79 20 69 6E 20 0 Apache Tika
43 6F 6D 6D 6F 6E 20 73 75 62 64 69 72 65 63 74 6F 72 69 65 73 3A 20 0 Apache Tika
49 6E 64 65 78 3A 0 Apache Tika

Extension

.diff

MIME Type

text/x-diff

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .diff files in Python

Python 
def is_diff(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid DIFF by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x64, 0x69, 0x66, 0x66, 0x20])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(5) == signature

How to validate .diff files in Node.js

Node.js 
function isDIFF(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x64, 0x69, 0x66, 0x66, 0x20]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 5).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .diff files in Go

Go 
func IsDIFF(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x64, 0x69, 0x66, 0x66, 0x20}
    if len(data) < 5 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:5], signature)
}

API Endpoint

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

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .diff file?

A .diff file is a DIFF file.

What are the magic bytes for .diff files?

The magic bytes for DIFF files are 64 69 66 66 20 at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .diff file?

To validate a .diff file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (64 69 66 66 20) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .diff files?

The primary MIME type for .diff files is text/x-diff.

Is it safe to open .diff files?

DIFF (.diff) 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.