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xar (eXtensible ARchive) (.xar)

.xar file signature | application/x-xar

eXtensible ARchive (XAR) is an archive file format developed by Xara Group and used by Xara software to store structured content. It is primarily used for packaging graphics, documents, and related resources within Xara design applications and for exchanging project data between compatible tools. The format is generally safe, but like other archives it may contain embedded files, and older XAR documents may require legacy software for full access.

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0
78 61 72 21

Sources: Apache Tika, Wikipedia, Gary Kessler

Extension

.xar

MIME Type

application/x-xar

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .xar files in Python

Python 
def is_xar(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid XAR by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x78, 0x61, 0x72, 0x21])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(4) == signature

How to validate .xar files in Node.js

Node.js 
function isXAR(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x78, 0x61, 0x72, 0x21]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 4).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .xar files in Go

Go 
func IsXAR(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x78, 0x61, 0x72, 0x21}
    if len(data) < 4 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:4], signature)
}

API Endpoint

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

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .xar file?

A .xar file is a xar (eXtensible ARchive) file. eXtensible ARchive (XAR) is an archive file format developed by Xara Group and used by Xara software to store structured content. It is primarily used for packaging graphics, documents, and related resources within Xara design applications and for exchanging project data between compatible tools. The format is generally safe, but like other archives it may contain embedded files, and older XAR documents may require legacy software for full access.

What are the magic bytes for .xar files?

The magic bytes for xar (eXtensible ARchive) files are 78 61 72 21 at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .xar file?

To validate a .xar file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (78 61 72 21) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .xar files?

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

Is it safe to open .xar files?

xar (eXtensible ARchive) (.xar) 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.