Skip to content

Microsoft Developer Studio project file (.dsp)

.dsp file signature | text/plain

Microsoft Developer Studio project files are text-based configuration files created and maintained by Microsoft for the Visual Studio and earlier Developer Studio toolchains. They store project settings, source file lists, build options, and workspace information used to compile and manage software projects. As a legacy format, they are generally safe to inspect, though they may reference paths or tools that are no longer supported.

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0
23 20 4D 69 63 72 6F 73 6F 66 74 20 44 65 76 65 6C 6F 70 65 72 20 53 74 75 64 69 6F

Sources: Wikipedia, Gary Kessler

Extension

.dsp

MIME Type

text/plain

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .dsp files in Python

Python 
def is_dsp(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid DSP by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x23, 0x20, 0x4D, 0x69, 0x63, 0x72, 0x6F, 0x73, 0x6F, 0x66, 0x74, 0x20, 0x44, 0x65, 0x76, 0x65, 0x6C, 0x6F, 0x70, 0x65, 0x72, 0x20, 0x53, 0x74, 0x75, 0x64, 0x69, 0x6F])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(28) == signature

How to validate .dsp files in Node.js

Node.js 
function isDSP(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x23, 0x20, 0x4D, 0x69, 0x63, 0x72, 0x6F, 0x73, 0x6F, 0x66, 0x74, 0x20, 0x44, 0x65, 0x76, 0x65, 0x6C, 0x6F, 0x70, 0x65, 0x72, 0x20, 0x53, 0x74, 0x75, 0x64, 0x69, 0x6F]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 28).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .dsp files in Go

Go 
func IsDSP(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x23, 0x20, 0x4D, 0x69, 0x63, 0x72, 0x6F, 0x73, 0x6F, 0x66, 0x74, 0x20, 0x44, 0x65, 0x76, 0x65, 0x6C, 0x6F, 0x70, 0x65, 0x72, 0x20, 0x53, 0x74, 0x75, 0x64, 0x69, 0x6F}
    if len(data) < 28 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:28], signature)
}

API Endpoint

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

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .dsp file?

A .dsp file is a Microsoft Developer Studio project file file. Microsoft Developer Studio project files are text-based configuration files created and maintained by Microsoft for the Visual Studio and earlier Developer Studio toolchains. They store project settings, source file lists, build options, and workspace information used to compile and manage software projects. As a legacy format, they are generally safe to inspect, though they may reference paths or tools that are no longer supported.

What are the magic bytes for .dsp files?

The magic bytes for Microsoft Developer Studio project file files are 23 20 4D 69 63 72 6F 73 6F 66 74 20 44 65 76 65 6C 6F 70 65 72 20 53 74 75 64 69 6F at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .dsp file?

To validate a .dsp file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (23 20 4D 69 63 72 6F 73 6F 66 74 20 44 65 76 65 6C 6F 70 65 72 20 53 74 75 64 69 6F) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .dsp files?

The primary MIME type for .dsp files is text/plain.

Is it safe to open .dsp files?

Microsoft Developer Studio project file (.dsp) 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.