Binary file

A computer file whose contents are encoded as bytes rather than represented as plain text. Its bytes are interpreted according to formats such as images, audio, executables, or archives.

Byte: A unit of digital information consisting of eight bits in most modern computing systems. Binary files are sequences of bytes, each holding eight bits in common systems.
JPEG: A family of image-compression standards commonly used for digital photographs. JPEG files encode compressed image data in a binary format.
Bit: The basic unit of digital information, taking one of two values, usually written 0 or 1. Bytes in binary files are built from individual bits.
Text file: A file whose contents are organized as encoded text characters. Text files are the usual contrast to files interpreted primarily as structured bytes.
Binary data: Information represented using sequences of bits rather than directly readable characters. A binary file stores binary data as its contents.
Portable Network Graphics: A lossless raster image format that supports transparency. PNG files store image samples and metadata as structured binary data.
Hexadecimal: A base-16 numeral system using digits 0–9 and letters A–F. Hexadecimal notation compactly displays the bytes found in binary files.
Unicode: A standard that assigns code points to characters used by writing systems and symbols. Unicode characters still require an encoding to become bytes in a file.
File format: A specification for organizing and interpreting data stored in a file. The format tells software how to interpret a file’s bytes.
Executable: A file containing instructions a computer can run as a program. Executable files package machine instructions and related data in binary formats.

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