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Compressed archive file (.lha)

.lha file signature | application/octet-stream

Compressed archive file

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 10
23 20 54 68 69 73 20 69 73 20 61 20 73 68 65 6C 6C 20 61 72 63 68 69 76 65

Sources: Apache Tika

All Known Signatures

7 signature variants are documented for .lha files across multiple sources.

Hex Signature Offset Sources
23 20 54 68 69 73 20 69 73 20 61 20 73 68 65 6C 6C 20 61 72 63 68 69 76 65 10 Apache Tika
1F 1E 0 Apache Tika
30 31 37 34 33 37 0 Apache Tika
1F FF 0 Apache Tika
FF 1F 0 Apache Tika
30 31 34 35 34 30 35 0 Apache Tika
2D 6C 68 2 Gary Kessler

Extension

.lha

MIME Type

application/octet-stream

Byte Offset

10

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .lha files in Python

Python 
def is_lha(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid LHA by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x23, 0x20, 0x54, 0x68, 0x69, 0x73, 0x20, 0x69, 0x73, 0x20, 0x61, 0x20, 0x73, 0x68, 0x65, 0x6C, 0x6C, 0x20, 0x61, 0x72, 0x63, 0x68, 0x69, 0x76, 0x65])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(25) == signature

How to validate .lha files in Node.js

Node.js 
function isLHA(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x23, 0x20, 0x54, 0x68, 0x69, 0x73, 0x20, 0x69, 0x73, 0x20, 0x61, 0x20, 0x73, 0x68, 0x65, 0x6C, 0x6C, 0x20, 0x61, 0x72, 0x63, 0x68, 0x69, 0x76, 0x65]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 25).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .lha files in Go

Go 
func IsLHA(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x23, 0x20, 0x54, 0x68, 0x69, 0x73, 0x20, 0x69, 0x73, 0x20, 0x61, 0x20, 0x73, 0x68, 0x65, 0x6C, 0x6C, 0x20, 0x61, 0x72, 0x63, 0x68, 0x69, 0x76, 0x65}
    if len(data) < 25 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:25], signature)
}

API Endpoint

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

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .lha file?

A .lha file is a Compressed archive file file. Compressed archive file

What are the magic bytes for .lha files?

The magic bytes for Compressed archive file files are 23 20 54 68 69 73 20 69 73 20 61 20 73 68 65 6C 6C 20 61 72 63 68 69 76 65 at byte offset 10. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .lha file?

To validate a .lha file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (23 20 54 68 69 73 20 69 73 20 61 20 73 68 65 6C 6C 20 61 72 63 68 69 76 65) at offset 10. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .lha files?

The primary MIME type for .lha files is application/octet-stream.

Is it safe to open .lha files?

Compressed archive file (.lha) 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.