# File formats

File format management sits at the core of **LIBSAFE**. Through the use of characterizers (explained further on), the system precisely recognizes and identifies the file formats of the files that make up the objects that we want to preserve.

**LIBSAFE** stores a registry of all the formats it is capable of identifying, by using all the characterizers available. The concrete identification of a file format is done through the UID parameter.

In the list of file formats shown below, we can see name, description, the extension associated to the file format (a file format may have one, several or even no extensions associated to it), the file format identifier (UID), a URL with file information and access to the file format detail.

![](/files/-MkqHBxKLwgj8O6Ylnmh)


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