GEnealogical Data COMmunication (.ged)

.ged file signature | application/octet-stream

GEnealogical Data COMmunication (GEDCOM)file

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0


              30 20 48 45 41 44

Sources: Gary Kessler

Extension

.ged

MIME Type

application/octet-stream

Byte Offset

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .ged files in Python

Python

def is_ged(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid GED by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x30, 0x20, 0x48, 0x45, 0x41, 0x44])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(6) == signature

How to validate .ged files in Node.js

Node.js

function isGED(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x30, 0x20, 0x48, 0x45, 0x41, 0x44]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 6).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .ged files in Go

func IsGED(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x30, 0x20, 0x48, 0x45, 0x41, 0x44}
    if len(data) < 6 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:6], signature)
}

API Endpoint

GET /api/v1/ged


              curl https://filesignature.org/api/v1/ged

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .ged file?

A .ged file is a GEnealogical Data COMmunication file. GEnealogical Data COMmunication (GEDCOM)file

What are the magic bytes for .ged files?

The magic bytes for GEnealogical Data COMmunication files are 30 20 48 45 41 44 at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .ged file?

To validate a .ged file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (30 20 48 45 41 44) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .ged files?

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

Is it safe to open .ged files?

GEnealogical Data COMmunication (.ged) 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.