Container format

<p>A container format (informally, sometimes called a wrapper) or metafile is a <a href="/facts/File_format/qrXbwJaH">file format</a> that allows multiple data streams to be embedded into a single <a href="/facts/Computer_file/FjFH3Ufm">file</a>, usually along with <a href="/facts/Metadata/qt35z79C">metadata</a> for identifying and further detailing those streams.  Notable examples of container formats include <a href="/facts/Archive_file/u7BIXv7D">archive files</a> (such as the <a href="/facts/ZIP_(file_format)/qDrrYIB9">ZIP format</a>) and formats used for multimedia playback (such as <a href="/facts/Matroska/hDrffBx0">Matroska</a>, <a href="/facts/MPEG-4_Part_14/PM0FNvUU">MP4</a>, and <a href="/facts/Audio_Video_Interleave/2pr8AoRT">AVI</a>). Among the earliest <a href="/facts/Cross-platform/16zqdvNR">cross-platform</a> container formats were <a href="/facts/Distinguished_Encoding_Rules/sNL76pTs">Distinguished Encoding Rules</a> and the 1985 <a href="/facts/Interchange_File_Format/tuwp8bH7">Interchange File Format</a>.
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Container format open-in-new

Container format