File Extension Library


.CRAM File Extension

  • Developer by: EBI
  • Category: Data Files
  • Format: Binary

What are .CRAM files and how to open them?

Can't open .CRAM file? Are you wondering what it contains? On our site we will explain to you what this file is, what it is used for and what software opens the .CRAM file.

What is a .CRAM file extension?

.CRAM file extension is created by EBI. .CRAM has been classified as Data Files. The format of .CRAM file is Binary.

.CRAM is Compressed Alignment File

Compressed alignment file format developed by EBI, an outstation of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory; stores short DNA sequence read alignments generated from short read aligners such as BWA, BBMap, and BLAT.

The CRAM file format is similar to the Binary Alignment/Map (BAM) file format but features better file compression and a restructured column-oriented binary container format. As data volumes increase in the genetic software field, the CRAM format was designed to reduce the disk foot print of alignment data.

Short read alignment is the process of deciphering where a sequence comes from in the genome. This can be difficult since the reference genome is rather large and you aren't always looking for exact matches in the reference genome. Short read aligners are used to search enormous sequences for matches and near-matches. Since the sequences are so large, compression provided by formats like CRAM is necessary for keeping file sizes manageable.

List of all softwares that can open the Compressed Alignment File
Windows
Samtools

How to fix problems with .CRAM files

  1. You need to update the application that you normally use to open .CRAM files. Only the latest version of the software supports the current .CRAM file format
  2. You need to check the .CRAM file for viruses. To do this, you need to scan it with a popular antivirus (Norton, Nod32, Kaspersky, Dr.Web, etc.)