Finding Mime Types in Python

When storing files, such as images or documents, it can be beneficial to include their MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) types. This information is crucial for web pages to automatically trigger the correct application or viewer upon file download.

Python provides a range of options for obtaining MIME types:

python-magic:

python-magic is a highly regarded library for handling file analysis and identification. It offers a comprehensive database of file types and their associated MIME types. To install it, use pip install python-magic.

import magic
mime = magic.Magic(mime=True)
mime_type = mime.from_file("path/to/file.pdf")  # Returns 'application/pdf'

mimetypes Module:

Python's built-in mimetypes module can be utilized to determine MIME types based on file extensions. Keep in mind that it uses a limited and hardcoded mapping of file extensions to MIME types and may not cover all possible cases.

import mimetypes
mime_type = mimetypes.guess_type("path/to/file.pdf")[0]  # Returns 'application/pdf'

External Web Services:

Various online services offer MIME type lookup capabilities. You can send a file or a known file extension to these services and receive the corresponding MIME type.

Downloadable Databases:

If you prefer offline access to MIME type information, consider downloading and maintaining your own database of file types and their MIME types. Several resources offer such databases, which you can store and access locally.

Additional Considerations:

• File Posting: Browsers do not typically include MIME type information when posting files to web pages. This is because the browser assumes that the server handling the file upload will determine and provide the appropriate MIME type.
• Single Function: Focus on implementing only the functionality of obtaining MIME types in your code, and avoid incorporating additional features like file handling or database storage.