The best file formats, according to hackers
5 file formats recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.
All file formats
- Apache ParquetWidely supported columnar file format that compresses well and lets tools read only needed columns. Critics say it is hard to append to and has heavy dependencies.40recommend
- GwtarRecommended as a single-file HTML archive format that needs no special hosting setup or software. Critics say large files load slowly and some examples fail in browsers.10recommend
- SafetensorsRecommended as a safe alternative to pickle for model weights, since it stores only data and cannot run code on load. Caveat: pth files remain exploitable.7recommend
- JSON CanvasPeople recommend its simple, open JSON file format, which is easy to read and implement, suits interactive content and can be built on. Some critics doubt its practical use beyond Obsidian.7recommend
- F3 file formatSelf-describing file format with a WebAssembly decoder, so no language-specific library is needed. Critics say its readme does not explain who should use it.6recommend