binary-inspector

Hex dump, magic-byte detection, entropy, strings, and pattern search — from one zero-dependency CLI.

Install

npx github:NickCirv/binary-inspector <file> [options]

Or install globally:

npm install -g github:NickCirv/binary-inspector

Usage

# Hex dump (default)
binx image.png

# Detect file type from magic bytes
binx /bin/ls --type

# Entropy + file info
binx firmware.bin --info

# Extract printable strings (min length 8)
binx /bin/ls --strings --min-len 8

# Search for a hex pattern
binx archive.zip --search "50 4B 03 04"

# Full analysis as JSON
binx image.png --all --json

Flag	Description
--hex	Hex dump (default when no other mode given)
--type	Detect file type from magic bytes (30+ signatures)
--info	File size, permissions, Shannon entropy
--strings	Find printable ASCII sequences
--freq	Byte frequency analysis, top 10
--search <hex>	Search for a hex pattern, e.g. "FF D8 FF"
--offset <n>	Start at byte offset N
--length <n>	Read N bytes from offset
--min-len <n>	Min string length for --strings (default: 4)
--all	Run all analyses
--json	Output full analysis as JSON
--no-color	Disable color output

What it does

binary-inspector reads any file and lets you explore its raw bytes without installing anything beyond Node. It identifies 30+ formats by magic bytes (PNG, JPEG, ELF, Mach-O, ZIP, SQLite, WASM, and more), computes Shannon entropy to flag encrypted or compressed regions, extracts printable strings, and searches for arbitrary hex patterns — all piped through a readable color terminal output or clean JSON.

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_{Zero dependencies · Node ≥ 18 · MIT · by NickCirv}