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SHP (.shp)

.shp file signature | application/x-shapefile

The SHP file format is the geometry component of the ESRI Shapefile format, created and maintained by Esri for storing vector spatial data. It is used in geographic information systems for maps, terrain analysis, land records, transportation planning, and other location-based applications. The format is widely supported and generally safe, though it is part of a legacy shapefile dataset and may be accompanied by related index and attribute files.

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0
00 00 27 0A

Sources: Apache Tika

Extension

.shp

MIME Type

application/x-shapefile

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .shp files in Python

Python 
def is_shp(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid SHP by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x00, 0x00, 0x27, 0x0A])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(4) == signature

How to validate .shp files in Node.js

Node.js 
function isSHP(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x00, 0x00, 0x27, 0x0A]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 4).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .shp files in Go

Go 
func IsSHP(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x00, 0x00, 0x27, 0x0A}
    if len(data) < 4 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:4], signature)
}

API Endpoint

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

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .shp file?

A .shp file is identified by the magic bytes 00 00 27 0A at byte offset 0. The SHP file format is the geometry component of the ESRI Shapefile format, created and maintained by Esri for storing vector spatial data. It is used in geographic information systems for maps, terrain analysis, land records, transportation planning, and other location-based applications. The format is widely supported and generally safe, though it is part of a legacy shapefile dataset and may be accompanied by related index and attribute files.

What are the magic bytes for .shp files?

The magic bytes for SHP files are 00 00 27 0A at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .shp file?

To validate a .shp file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (00 00 27 0A) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .shp files?

The primary MIME type for .shp files is application/x-shapefile.

Is it safe to open .shp files?

SHP (.shp) 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.