.lock files
.lock file
Lock File
Either a dependency version record or a marker saying a file is in use.
What opens a .lock file
- Windows
- Visual Studio Code, Notepad (built in)
- macOS
- Visual Studio Code, TextEdit (built in)
- Linux
- Visual Studio Code, Text Editor (built in)
What a .lock file is
Two unrelated things use this extension. Package managers write lock files — yarn.lock, Cargo.lock, poetry.lock — recording the exact dependency versions installed, and those are plain text that belongs in version control. Separately, applications and databases create a .lock file to signal that a resource is open; a stale one left after a crash is what causes "the file is already in use" errors, and deleting it when the program is definitely closed clears the problem.
Converting it
A .lock file is commonly converted to .txt. It is a plain text format, so any text editor can open and edit it directly.
Details
- Extension
- .lock
- Full name
- Lock File
- Category
- Data
- MIME type
- text/plain
- Created by
- Various
- Format
- Plain text
Common questions
- How do I open a .lock file?
- On Windows use Visual Studio Code; on macOS use Visual Studio Code; on Linux use Visual Studio Code. Either a dependency version record or a marker saying a file is in use.
- What is a .lock file?
- Lock File. Two unrelated things use this extension. Package managers write lock files — yarn.lock, Cargo.lock, poetry.lock — recording the exact dependency versions installed, and those are plain text that belongs in version control.
- Can I convert a .lock file?
- Yes. It is usually converted to .txt, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.
Related pages
- .csv — Comma-Separated Values A spreadsheet as plain text, one row per line — the universal data exchange form
- .json — JavaScript Object Notation The standard text format for structured data on the web and in config files.
- .xml — Extensible Markup Language A tag-based text format for structured data, still everywhere in enterprise syst
- .yaml — YAML Data File An indentation-based configuration format, readable but unforgiving about whites
- .log — Log File A plain-text record of what a program did, newest events usually at the bottom.
- .torrent — BitTorrent Metainfo File A few kilobytes of metadata describing what to download and from whom — not the
- .dat — Generic Data File A meaningless extension — .dat says only that some program stored data here.
- .vcf — vCard Contact File One or more contacts as plain text — the standard way to move an address book.
- .sql — SQL Script A text file of database commands — often a full database dump.
- .ics — iCalendar Event A calendar invitation or event feed in a plain-text standard format.
- .sqlite — SQLite Database A complete relational database in a single file — the most deployed database in
- .db — Generic Database File An extension many programs use for their data — it does not identify one format.
Sources
- Media Types Registry — IANA
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place