Short for byte order mark, BOM is the character code (such as U+FEFF) at the beginning of a data stream that is used to define the byte order and encoding form. BOM is most commonly associated with plaintext files where it is not known if the file is in big or little endian format. BOM is optional for Unicode text files. However it cannot be used in files containing both Unicode and binarydata.
See also big-endian.
Webopedia is an online information technology and computer science resource for IT professionals, students, and educators. Webopedia focuses on connecting researchers with IT resources that are most helpful for them. Webopedia resources cover technology definitions, educational guides, and software reviews that are accessible to all researchers regardless of technical background.
Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on Webopedia and our other IT-focused platforms.
Property of TechnologyAdvice.
© 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved
Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.