| Extension | GIF |
| Full Name | Graphics Interchange Format |
| Type | Image |
| Mime Type | image/gif |
| Format | Binary |
| Opens With | Paint.Net |
GIF files have been around since the dawn of the internet and are a popular choice of format for storing images and animations. Images stored within a GIF file can be stored at low bits per pixel to reduce the size of the GIF file, leading to improved download speeds. Reducing the number of bits per pixel, if done correctly, can lead to no noticeable difference in image quality.
Along with static images, GIF files are also capable of storing short video or animation sequences. This capability has proved very popular, with animated GIFs being created and used on websites and social media. GIF files are also a popular format for storing and transmitting internet memes.
With newer and more capable formats such as PNG and WEBP taking over as the default standard for images and animations on the web, the GIF format is slowly declining in popularity. Support for GIF files within image editing software is still strong and will likely continue.
| Extension | TXT |
| Full Name | Data URI Scheme |
| Type | Document |
| Mime Type | text/plain |
| Format | Text |
A data uri is a form of specially encoded ASCII text content that is usually treated as plain text and may thus use the TXT file extension. A data URI is used as a means of storing binary data in a text format with the use of Base64 encoding.
A blob of binary data is Base64 encoded, a process of converting individual bytes of data into an ASCII representation using several characters per byte. This process, once completed, will result in a text file roughly 25% larger than the original binary data file.
The main reason for encoding binary data in such a way is to enable binary files, such as images, to be embedded into HTML and CSS files used by websites. This embedding of the images as text reduces the number of HTTP requests a website needs to make, thus decreasing the load time of websites.
