SUFFIXES(7)

NAME
suffixes - list of file suffixes

DESCRIPTION
It is customary to indicate the contents of a file with the file suffix, which consists of a period, followed by one or more letters. Many standard utilities, such as compilers, use this to recognize the type of file they are dealing with. The make(1) utility is driven by rules based on file suffix.

Following is a list of suffixes which are likely to be found on a Linux system.

Suffix | File type
,v | files for RCS (Revision Control System)
- | backup file
.C | C++ source code
.F | Fortran source with cpp(1) directives
.S | assembler source with cpp(1) directives
.Z | file compressed using compress(1)
.[0-9]+gf | TeX generic font files
.[0-9]+pk | TeX packed font files
.[1-9] | manual page for the corresponding section
.[1-9][a-z] | manual page for section plus subsection
.a | static object code library
.afm | PostScript font metrics
.arc | arc(1) archive
.arj | arj(1) archive
.asc | PGP ASCII-armoured data
.awk | AWK language program
.bak | backup file
.bm | bitmap source
.c | C source
.cat | message catalog files
.cc | C++ source
.cf | configuration file
.class | Java compiled byte-code
.conf | configuration file
.config | configuration file
.dat | data file
.deb | Debian software package
.def | Modula-2 source for definition modules
.def | other definition files
.diff | file differences (diff(1) command output)
.doc | documentation file
.dvi | TeX's device independent output
.el | Emacs-Lisp source
.elc | compiled Emacs-Lisp source
.eps | encapsulated PostScript
.f | Fortran source
.fas | pre-compiled Common-Lisp
.fi | Fortran include files
.gif | Compuserve Graphics Image File format
.gsf | Ghostscript fonts
.gz | file compressed using gzip(1)
.h | C or C++ header files
.help | help file
.hf | equivalent to .help
.hlp | equivalent to .help
.htm | HTML file imported from a brain-damaged interrupt handler
.html | HTML document used with the World Wide Web
.i | C source after preprocessing
.idx | reference or datum-index file for hypertext or database system
.icon | bitmap source
.image | bitmap source
.in | configuration template, especially for GNU Autoconf
.info | files for the Emacs info browser
.info-[0-9]+ | splitted info files
.java | a Java source file
.jpeg | Joint Photographic Experts Group format
.jpg | equivalent to .jpeg
.l | equivalent to .lex or .lisp
.lex | lex(1) or flex(1) files
.lib | Common-Lisp library
.lisp | Lisp source
.ln | files for use with lint(1)
.lsp | Common-Lisp source
.m4 | m4(1) source
.mac | macro files for various programs
.man | manual page (usually source rather than formatted)
.me | Nroff source using the me macro package
.mf | Metafont (font generator for TeX) source
.mm | sources for groff(1) in mm - format
.mod | Modula-2 source for implementation modules
.o | object file
.old | old or backup file
.orig | backup (original) version of a file, from patch(1)
.out | output file, often executable program (a.out)
.p | Pascal source
.patch | file differences for patch(1)
.pbm | portable bitmap format
.pcf | X11 font files
.perl | Perl source
.pfa | PostScript font definition files, ASCII format
.pfb | PostScript font definition files, binary format
.pgm | portable greymap format
.pgp | PGP binary data
.pid | File to store daemon pid (e.g. crond.pid)
.png | Portable Network Graphics file
.ph | Perl header file
.pl | TeX property list file or Perl library file
.pm | Perl method file
.ppm | portable pixmap format
.pr | bitmap source
.ps | PostScript file
.r | RATFOR source (obsolete)
.rej | patches that patch(1) couldn't apply
.rpm | RedHat software package
.rules | rules for something
.s | assembler source
.sa | stub libraries for a.out shared libraries
.sc | sc(1) spreadsheed commands
.sh | sh(1) scripts
.shar | archive created by the shar(1) utility
.so | DLL dynamic library
.sql | SQL source
.sqml | SQML schema or query program
.sty | LaTeX style files
.sym | Modula-2 compiled definition modules
.tar | archive created by the tar(1) utility
.tar.Z | tar(1) archive compressed with compress(1)
.tar.gz | tar(1) archive compressed with gzip(1)
.taz | tar(1) archive compressed with compress(1)
.tex | TeX or LaTeX source
.texi | equivalent to .texinfo
.texinfo | Texinfo documentation source
.text | text file
.tfm | TeX font metric file
.tgz | tar archive compressed with gzip(1)
.tiff | Tagged Image File Format
.tmpl | template files
.txt | equivalent to .text
.uu | equivalent to .uue
.uue | binary file encoded with uuencode(1)
.vf | TeX virtual font file
.vpl | TeX virtual property list file
.w | Silvio Levi's CWEB
.web | Donald Knuth's WEB
.xbm | X11 bitmap source
.xpm | X11 pixmap source
.y | yacc(1) or bison(1) (parser generator) files
.z | File compressed using pack(1) (or an old gzip(1))
.zip | zip(1) archive
.zoo | zoo(1) archive
~ | Emacs or patch(1) backup file
rc | startup (`run control') file, e.g. .newsrc

CONFORMS TO
General UNIX conventions.

BUGS
This list is not exhaustive.

SEE ALSO
file(1), make(1)