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Flash video file (.flv)

.flv file signature | video/x-flv

ISO Media, MPEG v4 system, or iTunes AVC-LC file

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0
46 4C 56

Sources: Apache Tika, Wikipedia, Neil Harvey FileSignatures

All Known Signatures

4 signature variants are documented for .flv files across multiple sources.

Hex Signature Offset Sources
46 4C 56 0 Apache Tika, Wikipedia, Neil Harvey FileSignatures
46 49 4C 45 0 Gary Kessler
46 4C 56 01 0 Gary Kessler
66 74 79 70 4D 34 56 20 4 Gary Kessler

Extension

.flv

MIME Type

video/x-flv

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .flv files in Python

Python
def is_flv(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid FLV by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x46, 0x4C, 0x56])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(3) == signature

How to validate .flv files in Node.js

Node.js
function isFLV(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x46, 0x4C, 0x56]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 3).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .flv files in Go

Go
func IsFLV(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x46, 0x4C, 0x56}
    if len(data) < 3 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:3], signature)
}

API Endpoint

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

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .flv file?

A .flv file is a Flash video file file. ISO Media, MPEG v4 system, or iTunes AVC-LC file

What are the magic bytes for .flv files?

The magic bytes for Flash video file files are 46 4C 56 at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .flv file?

To validate a .flv file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (46 4C 56) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .flv files?

The primary MIME type for .flv files is video/x-flv.

Is it safe to open .flv files?

Flash video file (.flv) 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.