CAF File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Extension .caf
Developed by Apple Inc.
Initial Release August 2005
Container for Audio data
MIME Type audio/x-caf
Audio Formats Supported Uncompressed PCM, AAC, MP3, etc.
Maximum File Size Unlimited (limited by file system)
Sample Rate 1 Hz to arbitrarily high rates
Channels 1 (Mono) up to 5.1 Surround Sound or more
Bits per Sample 8, 16, 24, 32 (PCM)
Metadata Support Yes (Annotations, free-form text, etc.)
Looping Support Yes
Seek Points Yes
Editable Yes (without loss of audio quality)
Compression Lossless and lossy
Encryption Support No
Compatibility macOS, iOS (Native support); Limited on Windows/Linux (with third-party software)
Main Use Case Professional audio production, storage, and archive
Advantages High quality, flexible, supports large files, extensive metadata
Disadvantages Not widely supported outside Apple ecosystem