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Dateikopf

Dateikopf is the German term for the initial portion of a computer file that contains metadata and structural information used to interpret the rest of the file. In English this concept is typically called a file header. Etymology: from Datei (file) and Kopf (head). The term is used in German-language technical literature, documentation, and discussions about file formats.

In computing, the Dateikopf serves several purposes: it identifies the file type via a magic number or

Common elements found in many Dateikopf implementations include a magic identifier, version information, a data offset,

Examples of file headers: the PNG format uses an 8-byte signature followed by data chunks; the ZIP

See also: File format, File header, Magic number.

signature,
records
the
format
version,
and
may
indicate
the
length
of
the
header
and
the
offset
to
the
main
data
payload.
It
may
also
include
flags,
a
checksum,
and
information
about
the
layout
of
the
remainder
of
the
file.
The
exact
content
and
length
vary
by
format;
some
headers
are
fixed-length
while
others
are
composed
of
a
sequence
of
fields
or
chunks.
payload
size,
and
a
checksum.
Together
these
enable
quick
validation,
selection
of
an
appropriate
parser,
and
reliable
data
access.
format
includes
a
local
file
header
with
version,
flags,
and
CRC;
PDF
begins
with
a
version
declaration
such
as
"%PDF-1.7".
The
Dateikopf
is
essential
for
compatibility,
integrity
checking,
and
efficient
processing
of
the
file’s
contents.