Most common linux file extensions

There is no .exe equivalent in linux. Executables are denoted by file permissions, not extensions. In directories such as /etc, many files do not use a file extension because it is in /etc it is assumed to be a configuration (ASCII text) file.

Ex. “RELEASE NOTE” is the correct name for a file (remember that it’s case sensitive).

The following list shows the most commons file extensions for linux:

.a   : a static library ;
.au    : an audio file ;
.bin :    a) a binary image of a CD (usually a .cue file is also included); b) represents that the file is binary and is meant to be executed ;
.bz2 :    A file compressed using bzip2 ;
.c :    A C source file ;
.conf :  A configuration file. System-wide config files reside in /etc while any user-specific configuration will be somewhere in the user’s home directory ;
.cpp :  A C++ source file ;
.deb :  a Debian Package;
.diff :   A file containing instructions to apply a patch from a base version to another version of a single file or a project (such as the linux kernel);
.dsc:   a Debian Source information file ;
.ebuild : Bash script used to install programs through the portage system. Especially prevalent on Gentoo systems;
.el :  Emacs Lisp code file;
.elc :  Compiled Emacs Lisp code file;
.gif :    a graphical or image file;
.h :a C or C++ program language header file;
.html/.htm  :   an HTML file;
.iso :    A image (copy) of a CD-ROM or DVD in the ISO-9660 filesystem format;
.jpg :    a graphical or image file, such as a photo or artwork;
.ko :    The kernel module extension for the 2.6.x series kernel;
.la :    A file created by libtool to aide in using the library;
.lo :    The intermediate file of a library that is being compiled;
.lock :    A lock file that prevents the use of another file;
.log :    a system or program’s log file;
.m4 :    M4 macro code file;
.o :    1) The intermediate file of a program that is being compiled ; 2) The kernel module extension for a 2.4 series kernel ; 3)a program object file;
.pdf :    an electronic image of a document;
.php :     a PHP script;
.pid :    Some programs write their process ID into a file with this extention;
.pl :    a Perl script;
.png :    a graphical or image file;
.ps :    a PostScript file; formatted for printing;
.py :    a Python script;
.rpm :    an rpm package. See Distributions of Linux for a list of distributions that use rpms as a part of their package management system;
.s :    An assembly source code file;
.sh :    a shell script;
.so :     a Shared Object, which is a shared library. This is the equivalent form of a Windows DLL file;
.src  :    A source code file. Written in plain text, a source file must be compiled to be used;
.sfs :    Squashfs filesystem used in the SFS Technology;
.tar.bz2 , tbz2, tar.gz :     a compressed file per File Compression;
.tcl :    a TCL script;
.tgz :     a compressed file per File Compression. his may also denote a Slackware binary or source package;
.txt :    a plain ASCII text file;
.xbm :    an XWindows Bitmap image;
.xpm :     an image file;
.xcf.gz, xcf :  A GIMP image (native image format of the GIMP);
.xwd :    a screenshot or image of a window taken with xwd;
.zip :extension for files in ZIP format, a popular file compression format;
.wav :    an audio file.