What is MIME type "application/x-mason"?

A MIME type is a string that tells browsers and other tools how to handle a particular kind of file.

application/x-mason marks files meant for the Mason templating system. Mason mixes code with markup to produce dynamic web pages.
It tells the server or processing tool that the file contains embedded Perl and HTML code that must be run to generate final output.

Dynamic Content Rendering: Mason files blend programming logic with static content to build web pages on demand.
Server-Side Use: They run on web servers to output HTML, XML, or other text-based formats.
Non-Standard MIME Type: The prefix “x-” indicates it is an experimental or ad-hoc type, not part of the official MIME standard.

Files in this format often use the M extension.
Learn more at Mason on MetaCPAN.

Associated file extensions

Usage Examples

HTTP Header

When serving content with this MIME type, set the Content-Type header:


    Content-Type: application/x-mason

HTML

In HTML, you can specify the MIME type in various elements:


    <a href="file.dat" type="application/x-mason">Download file</a>

Server-side (Node.js)

Setting the Content-Type header in Node.js:


    const http = require('http');
    
    http.createServer((req, res) => {
      res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/x-mason');
      res.end('Content here');
    }).listen(3000);

Associated file extensions

FAQ

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.

How do I find the MIME type for a file?

You can check the file extension or use a file identification tool such as file --mime-type on the command line. Many programming languages also provide libraries to detect MIME types.

Why are multiple MIME types listed for one extension?

Different applications and historical conventions may use alternative MIME identifiers for the same kind of file. Showing them all helps ensure compatibility across systems.