MIME Type Lookup API

GET

Resolve MIME types and file extensions for any upload.

MIME Type Lookup matches file extensions to MIME types, categories, and default character encodings, or returns matching extensions for any media type. Paid plans add gzip compressibility flags.

Try it — live request, no key required

Request

GETapi.apiverve.com/v1/mimetypelookup?extension=pdf

Query parameters

extensionstring

Verification

Format

No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.

Example

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "extension": "pdf",
    "mime_type": "application/pdf",
    "category": "document",
    "description": "PDF document"
  }
}

About the MIME Type Lookup API

MIME Type Lookup works by searching a comprehensive database of MIME types and file extensions. Returns category, description, and all associated extensions for MIME types, or MIME type information for file extensions.

What people use it for

File Upload Handling: Validate and identify file types during file upload processing in web applications
Content-Type Headers: Set correct Content-Type headers for HTTP responses based on file extensions
File Processing: Determine how to process files based on their MIME type in data pipelines
API Development: Configure proper content type handling in REST APIs and file serving endpoints

Ways to call it

One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.

JSON: Default REST response
XML: Markup format
YAML: Human-readable
CSV: Tabular export
GraphQL: Query language
MCP: For AI agents

View all integrations →

Other ways to use MIME Type Lookup

Same data, same APIVerve account, same credit balance — one key works on all of them.

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.on VerveKit Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.on VerveSheets Ground an agent on itA cited, machine-checkable fact your model can't produce on its own.on VerveContext

Questions.

Common questions about the MIME Type Lookup API.

Read the docs →

Can I search by both file extension and MIME type?

Yes, you can query in either direction. You can pass a file extension to retrieve its standard MIME type, category, and encoding, or supply a MIME type to retrieve all associated file extensions.

Which file categories are supported?

The database covers common file types across documents, images, video, audio, text, and archives. Each lookup returns the assigned category along with standard character encodings when available.

Is compressibility data included on the Free plan?

No, whether a content type can be gzip compressed is a premium field. Any paid subscription starting with the Starter plan unlocks the compressible flag alongside a higher monthly lookup allowance.

Do file extensions require a leading dot in the request?

No, file extensions must be submitted without the leading dot, such as png or pdf instead of .png or .pdf. Results also return the extension strings without leading dots.

Which plan fits 50,000 MIME type lookups a month?

The Starter plan handles this volume with room to spare. Because each lookup uses 2 credits, 50,000 calls consume 100,000 credits, fitting inside Starter's 200,000-credit allocation. On Starter, lookups average about $0.30 per 1,000 calls, while the Free tier includes 100 lookups each month.

Can I use the MIME type data in a commercial product?

Yes, as long as you are on a paid plan. You can use the returned mappings directly inside your production upload pipelines, headers, or software, but you may not resell or redistribute the raw dataset as-is.

Request parameters — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them. Anything not listed here is dropped rather than passed through.

Required

Parameter	Type	Example	Description
`extension`Required	string	`pdf`	File extension to lookup (without the leading dot)

Example request

1
2

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/mimetypelookup?extension=pdf" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.

Header	When	Value
`x-api-key`Required	Every request	Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so `X-API-Key` is the same header.
`Authorization`Alternate	Instead of the above	`Bearer <key>` — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing.

401 is the only auth verdict

A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.

Response — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.

Sample response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "extension": "pdf",
    "mime_type": "application/pdf",
    "category": "document",
    "description": "PDF document"
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Field	Type	Example
`extension`	string	`"pdf"`
`mime_type`	string	`"application/pdf"`
`category`	string	`"document"`
`description`	string	`"PDF document"`

Response headers

Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.

Header	What it carries
`x-api-remaining-credits`	Credits left in the current cycle
`x-api-credits-used`	Credits spent in the current cycle
`x-api-max-credits`	The allowance for the cycle
`x-api-version`	Version of the endpoint that answered

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.

Status	Meaning	What to do
`400`	Input was rejected	Read `error`; it names the parameter that has to change.
`401`	Key missing or invalid	Check the header name and the key value.
`403`	Key valid, but not permitted here	A key restriction or an IP allow-list — never a bad key.
`429`	Rate limited, or out of credits	Read `error` to tell them apart, then back off or top up.

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.

Plan	Per month	Credits	MIME Type Lookup calls	Per 1,000 calls
Free	Free	200	100	Free
Starter	$29.99	200,000	100,000	$0.30
Pro	$99.99	1,000,000	500,000	$0.20
Mega	$299.99	4,000,000	2,000,000	$0.15

Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.

Compare all pricing tiers →

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/mimetypelookup with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

cURL

1
2

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/mimetypelookup" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Resources

GitHubapiverve/mimetypelookup-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceMIME Type Lookup API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/mimetypelookupnpm APIVerve.API.MIMETypeLookupNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

Install the Node.js SDK, then call the MIME Type Lookup API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — npm

npm install @apiverve/mimetypelookup

Node.js

const res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/mimetypelookup", {
  headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Resources

npm@apiverve/mimetypelookupThe published Node.js client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/mimetypelookup-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceMIME Type Lookup API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

APIVerve.API.MIMETypeLookupNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Python — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/mimetypelookup with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Python

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/mimetypelookup",
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/mimetypelookupnpm APIVerve.API.MIMETypeLookupNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the MIME Type Lookup API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — NuGet

dotnet add package APIVerve.API.MIMETypeLookup

C# / .NET

using var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");

var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/mimetypelookup");
Console.WriteLine(json);

Resources

NuGetAPIVerve.API.MIMETypeLookupThe published C# / .NET client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/mimetypelookup-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceMIME Type Lookup API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/mimetypelookupnpm

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Go — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/mimetypelookup with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/mimetypelookup", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")

res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/mimetypelookupnpm APIVerve.API.MIMETypeLookupNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/mimetypelookup with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/mimetypelookup");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/mimetypelookupnpm APIVerve.API.MIMETypeLookupNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/mimetypelookup with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Ruby

require "net/http"

uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/mimetypelookup")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/mimetypelookupnpm APIVerve.API.MIMETypeLookupNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

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MIME Type Lookup API

Try it — live request, no key required

About the MIME Type Lookup API

What people use it for

Ways to call it

Other ways to use MIME Type Lookup

Questions.

Request parameters — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

Required

Authentication

Response — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

Response fields

Response headers

Errors

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Python — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

Resources

Also published for

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Go — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

Resources

Also published for

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/mimetypelookup

Resources

Also published for

Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend

Changelog — MIME Type Lookup API

Reference Data

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