7. Summary

This document defines the structure of the MIME media type system and specifies seven initial top-level media types along with their associated subtypes.

Seven Top-Level Media Types

Discrete Types

1. text: Textual information
2. image: Image data
3. audio: Audio data
4. video: Video data
5. application: Application data

Composite Types

6. multipart: Multi-part entities
7. message: Encapsulated messages

Key Concepts

• Media types consist of type/subtype
• Parameters provide additional type-specific information
• Type and subtype matching is case-insensitive
• Parameter values are usually case-sensitive

Impact of MIME Types

The MIME media type system has become foundational for the Internet:

• Email: Original use case
• HTTP: Content-Type headers
• Web APIs: RESTful services
• File systems: File type identification

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Related Resources:

• IANA Media Types Registry: https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/
• RFC 2048: Media Type Registration Procedures
• RFC 6838: Media Type Specifications and Registration (update)

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