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Answer: A file is information grouped as one entity and referred to by a unique name, such as a filename. On the web, a File object is a Blob with a name, and it often refers to bytes from the underlying operating-system file system.

The NIST definition

The NIST CSRC glossary, citing NIST SP 800-86, defines a file as information grouped as one entity and referred to by a unique name, such as a filename.

Files in web applications

The W3C File API represents file objects in web applications so a program can select them and read their data. A File interface includes read-only attributes about a file, such as its name and the date of last modification on disk.

The spec says a File object is a Blob with a name attribute. The name is a string. The object can be created via a constructor, or it is a reference to a byte sequence from a file on the underlying file system. The File interface represents file data typically obtained from that file system.

Claims

• id: C1 claim: NIST defines a file as a named collection of information grouped as one entity. source: S1 evidence: "A collection of information logically grouped into a single entity"

• id: C2 claim: A File object is a Blob with a name attribute. source: S2 evidence: "A File object is a Blob object with a name attribute"

• id: C3 claim: The File interface includes a file's name and last-modification date. source: S2 evidence: "attributes about a file such as its name"

Sources

• [S1] File (CSRC Glossary). NIST Computer Security Resource Center. https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/file . License: public domain (US government work). Accessed 2026-11-11.

• [S2] File API. W3C. https://www.w3.org/TR/FileAPI/ . License: W3C Software and Document License. Accessed 2026-11-11.

@misc{iil_note_4bdwhnqp,
  author = {{iinventedlight Library}},
  title = {{A computer file is a named collection of information}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-11},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/reference/wikipedia/computer-file/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:4bdwhnqp. License: CC-BY-4.0. Summary of https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/file.},
}

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