What is the difference between .bin and .dat file?

Question

When writing to a binary file, when should I use .bin vs .dat? If I'm just trying to store information not meant to be read by humans, like item description/serial number pair, does it matter which one I pick if I'm just trying to make it unreadable from a text editor?

Answer 1

Let me give you some brief details about these files :

.BIN File : The BIN file type is primarily associated with 'Binary File'. Binary files are used for a wide variety of content and can be associated with a great many different programs. In general, a .BIN file will look like garbage when viewed in a file editor.

.DAT File : The DAT file type is primarily associated with 'Data'. Can be just about anything: text, graphic, or general binary data. Data file in special format or ASCII.

Reference: Abhijit Banerjee answered that question on quora

Answer 2

.dat is a more frequently used suffix for binary data. It doesn't matter what extension you pick, as long as you are on Unix or Linux based systems.

Answer 3

Sufixes can mean whatever you want them to mean... Those rules are more like guidelines than actual rules...

However, BIN seems like a short to binary, so a BIN file will likely hold data in binary form. DAT seems like a short to data, so a DAT file will contain information in whatever format the developer of the program that reads that file seems fit (ASCII, Binary, a mix of them, something else entirely)