40 media types used in Content-Type and Accept. Uses, file extensions, encoding, and security notes by category.
application/graphqlapplication/graphql is the (informal, partially standardized) media type for sending a GraphQL query document as the request body. GraphQL APIs typically POST a query to a single endpoint and receive JSON results.application/gzipapplication/gzip is the media type for a single-stream file compressed with the gzip (DEFLATE-based) algorithm. It is commonly combined with tar as `.tar.gz` to distribute file bundles, and used to store compressed logs and backups.application/javascriptapplication/javascript is the media type for ECMAScript source code executed by browsers and Node.js. However, the current HTML standard designates text/javascript as the recommended legacy type for serving scripts, so both coexist in practice.application/jsonapplication/json is the media type for data serialized as JavaScript Object Notation, and it is the de facto standard for exchanging data between REST APIs and web front ends. It represents key-value objects and arrays as text that is human-readable and parseable in nearly every language.application/ld+jsonapplication/ld+json is the media type for JSON-LD (JSON for Linked Data), which adds a semantic context (@context) to ordinary JSON so data carries machine-understandable meaning. On the web it is most widely used as structured data (schema.org) for search engines.application/manifest+jsonapplication/manifest+json is the media type for the web app manifest file of a Progressive Web App. It declares the app name, icons, start URL, display mode, theme color, and more so a browser can 'install' the site to the home screen.application/octet-streamapplication/octet-stream is the generic default type meaning 'arbitrary binary data of unknown nature.' It is used when a server does not know the concrete type, or wants the browser to save the response as a file rather than render it.application/pdfapplication/pdf is the media type for Portable Document Format documents, created by Adobe and standardized as ISO 32000. It reproduces layout, fonts, images, and vector graphics identically across devices and is the de facto standard for print, contracts, and reports.application/problem+jsonapplication/problem+json is the media type for expressing HTTP API errors in a standard, machine-readable form (RFC 9457, formerly RFC 7807). It turns ad-hoc, inconsistent error bodies into a unified schema so clients can handle them consistently.application/vnd.api+jsonapplication/vnd.api+json is the media type for responses that follow the JSON:API specification. It standardizes resource representation, relationships, pagination, and error format, giving structure to otherwise idiosyncratic JSON API designs.application/wasmapplication/wasm is the media type for WebAssembly binary modules — low-level bytecode compiled from C/C++/Rust and others that browsers execute at near-native speed. It is used for compute-intensive work like games, image processing, and cryptography.application/x-ndjsonapplication/x-ndjson is the media type for Newline-Delimited JSON — one complete JSON object per line, separated by newlines (\n). It is widely used for streaming large numbers of records and for log and data pipelines (the same idea as JSON Lines/JSONL).application/x-www-form-urlencodedapplication/x-www-form-urlencoded is the default encoding for submitting HTML forms via GET/POST, formatting fields as a `key=value&key2=value2` string identical to a URL query string. It reuses the percent-encoding used in query strings, placed in the body.application/xmlapplication/xml is the media type for Extensible Markup Language documents, widely used in SOAP, RSS/Atom feeds, configuration files, and enterprise integrations. It expresses hierarchy through tags and supports strict validation via schemas (XSD).application/zipapplication/zip is the media type for ZIP archives, which bundle multiple files and directories and compress each entry individually. It is widely used for document bundles, software distribution, and backup downloads, and virtually every OS supports it natively.audio/mpegaudio/mpeg is the media type for MP3 (MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer III) audio. Its lossy compression greatly shrinks music files while keeping acceptable quality, making it long the flagship format for digital audio and podcasts.audio/oggaudio/ogg is the media type for audio in the Ogg container, commonly wrapping the Vorbis or Opus codec. As a royalty-free open format, it is widely used in the web, gaming, and open-source ecosystems.audio/wavaudio/wav is the media type for WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) audio, a lossless format usually carrying uncompressed PCM samples. With no quality loss, it serves as a master format for audio editing, recording, and short sound effects.font/ttffont/ttf is the media type for TrueType Font, an older desktop font format created by Apple and Microsoft. It can be used on the web via @font-face, but as an uncompressed original it lags behind WOFF2 in web optimization.font/wofffont/woff is the media type for web fonts compressed with Web Open Font Format 1.0. It wraps TrueType/OpenType glyph data for web delivery and is used when loading web fonts via @font-face.font/woff2font/woff2 is the media type for Web Open Font Format 2.0 web fonts. With superior Brotli-based compression it shrinks files by roughly 30%+ over WOFF 1.0, making it the de facto standard web font format today.image/avifimage/avif is the media type for the AV1 Image File Format, applying the AV1 video codec's intra-frame technology to still images. At equal quality it produces smaller files than JPEG or WebP, drawing attention as a next-generation web image format.image/gifimage/gif is the media type for GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) images. A lossless format with up to a 256-color palette, it supports short animations (looping clips) and has long been used for memes and short repeating visuals.image/jpegimage/jpeg is the media type for raster images lossily compressed with JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). It compresses photographs and continuous-tone images excellently and is the most widely used photo format on the web.image/pngimage/png is the media type for raster images losslessly compressed with PNG (Portable Network Graphics). It supports alpha transparency and preserves sharp edges exactly, making it ideal for logos, icons, screenshots, and UI graphics.image/svg+xmlimage/svg+xml is the media type for Scalable Vector Graphics, an XML-based vector image format. It describes drawings with coordinates, shapes, and paths, staying crisp at any resolution and small in size — ideal for logos, icons, and charts.image/webpimage/webp is the media type for WebP images developed by Google. It supports both lossy and lossless compression plus alpha transparency and animation, and at equal quality produces smaller files than JPEG or PNG, benefiting web performance.image/x-iconimage/x-icon is the media type traditionally used for Windows ICO files — the favicons shown on browser tabs and bookmarks. Its hallmark is packing icons at several resolutions into a single file.multipart/byterangesmultipart/byteranges is the media type a server uses to send several non-contiguous byte ranges of one resource together in a single response. It appears in 206 Partial Content responses when a client requests multiple ranges.multipart/form-datamultipart/form-data is the standard media type for HTML form submissions that include file uploads (RFC 7578). It splits one request body into multiple parts using a boundary string, with each part carrying a field name, filename, and its own Content-Type.text/csstext/css is the media type for Cascading Style Sheets, which define the visual presentation of HTML documents. It declaratively describes color, layout, typography, and animation.text/csvtext/csv is the media type for Comma-Separated Values — tabular row/column data separated by commas (RFC 4180). It is widely used for spreadsheet exports and data interchange, and nearly every tool reads it.text/event-streamtext/event-stream is the media type for Server-Sent Events (SSE), a one-way real-time stream in which the server keeps one HTTP connection open and continuously pushes text events to the client. The browser's EventSource API consumes it.text/htmltext/html is the media type for HyperText Markup Language documents, the foundation of web pages. Receiving this type, a browser parses the markup into a DOM and loads the linked CSS, JavaScript, and images to render.text/javascripttext/javascript is the media type for JavaScript source executed by browsers. Once slated for deprecation, it was revived by the current WHATWG HTML standard as the recommended type for serving scripts, and is today the de facto type for JS loaded via <script>.text/markdowntext/markdown is the media type for Markdown documents (RFC 7763). It is plain-text markup that expresses formatting with light symbols (#, *, `), widely used for READMEs, docs, blog drafts, and issue comments.text/plaintext/plain is the media type for plain text with no structure or formatting. It is used for logs, READMEs, simple API responses, and debug output — plain text read as-is by humans — and browsers display it verbatim without escaping.text/xmltext/xml is another media type for XML documents; the format matches application/xml but the default encoding and semantics differ. It is used when human-readable XML is intended, though application/xml is preferred today.video/mp4video/mp4 is the media type for video in the MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14) container, commonly wrapping H.264/H.265 video and AAC audio. With the broadest compatibility, it is the de facto standard video format across web, mobile, and broadcast.video/webmvideo/webm is the media type for video in the open WebM container led by Google, commonly wrapping VP8/VP9/AV1 video and Vorbis/Opus audio. Royalty-free and web-friendly, it is widely used for autoplay background videos and short clips.