What is MIME type "chemical/x-cache"?

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

Chemical/x-cache is a MIME type used in chemical software systems. It holds precomputed molecular structure data in a compact, ready-to-access format.
This type helps speed up chemical computations and visualizations. It ensures that once a molecule is processed, its data is saved for quick reuse.

Performance enhancement: Cached data reduces processing time.
Data persistence: It retains molecular structure information for later analysis.
Software interoperability: It allows specialized chemical programs to easily share and retrieve data.

Files that use this type come from systems like CAChe MolStruct. They appear as CACHE and CAC files.
Understanding this type is important for users working with chemical informatics and molecular modeling software. For more technical details, you may explore external resources on chemical data formats.

Associated file extensions

.cache, .cac

Usage Examples

HTTP Header

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


    Content-Type: chemical/x-cache

HTML

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


    <a href="file.dat" type="chemical/x-cache">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', 'chemical/x-cache');
      res.end('Content here');
    }).listen(3000);

Associated file extensions

.cache, .cac

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.