This is a port of Apache2 mod_mime_magic.c in Perl, written in XS with the aim of being efficient and fast especially for applications that need to be run for an extended amount of time. There is a compatibility layer for File::MMagic. you can specify :compat when importing the module use File::MMagic::XS qw(:compat); And then the following methods are going to be available from File::MMagic::XS: checktype_filename checktype_filehandle checktype_contents addMagicEntry Currently this software is in beta. If you have suggestions/recommendations about the interface or anything else, now is your chance to send them!