What is MIME type "audio/mpeg"?
What is a MIME Type?
A MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) type is a standard that indicates the nature and format of a document, file, or assortment of bytes. MIME types are defined and standardized in IETF's RFC 6838.
MIME types are important because they help browsers and servers understand how to process a file. When a browser receives a file from a server, it uses the MIME type to determine how to display or handle the content, whether it's an image to display, a PDF to open in a viewer, or a video to play.
MIME types consist of a type and a subtype, separated by a slash (e.g., text/html, image/jpeg, application/pdf). Some MIME types also include optional parameters.
About audio/mpeg
Description
MP3 Audio
Coding format for digital audio that uses a form of lossy data compression.
Category
Details
Usage Examples
HTTP Header
When serving content with this MIME type, set the Content-Type header:
Content-Type: audio/mpeg
HTML
In HTML, you can specify the MIME type in various elements:
<audio controls> <source src="file.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" /> Your browser does not support the audio tag. </audio>
Browser Compatibility
Most modern browsers support the audio/mpeg MIME type and will play the audio using its built-in media player or a plugin.
Supported Browsers
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Safari
- Microsoft Edge
- Opera
Handling
Browsers will provide controls to play the audio file using their built-in media player.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related MIME Types
Official reference for the audio/mpeg MIME type
https://mime-type.com/audio/mpeg