SHP
application/x-shapefile
Magic Bytes
Offset: 0
00 00 27 0A
The Shapefile (SHP) is a geospatial vector data format developed and maintained by Esri for interoperability among geographic information system software. It serves as an industry standard for storing the geometric location and attribute information of geographic features such as points, lines, and polygons. Although technically a legacy format replaced by more modern geodatabases, it remains widely used in cartography and spatial analysis due to its broad compatibility across mapping applications.
Validation Code
How to validate .shp files in 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) == signatureHow to validate .shp files in 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
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
/api/v1/shp
curl https://filesignature.org/api/v1/shp
Related Formats
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a .shp file?
A .shp file is a SHP file. The Shapefile (SHP) is a geospatial vector data format developed and maintained by Esri for interoperability among geographic information system software. It serves as an industry standard for storing the geometric location and attribute information of geographic features such as points, lines, and polygons. Although technically a legacy format replaced by more modern geodatabases, it remains widely used in cartography and spatial analysis due to its broad compatibility across mapping applications.
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.