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PATCH (.patch)

.patch 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 .patch 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

.patch

MIME Type

text/x-diff

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .patch files in Python

Python
def is_patch(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid PATCH 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 .patch files in Node.js

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

How to validate .patch files in Go

Go
func IsPATCH(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/patch
curl https://filesignature.org/api/v1/patch

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .patch file?

A .patch file is a PATCH file.

What are the magic bytes for .patch files?

The magic bytes for PATCH 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 .patch file?

To validate a .patch 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 .patch files?

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

Is it safe to open .patch files?

PATCH (.patch) 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.