Bonobo Activation API file
File type: Various data file
Files with the .server file extension are registration files used by the Bonobo Activation API.
They belong to the Bonobo component framework used by the GNOME desktop on Linux and other Unix-like systems.
File type category:
Various data file
Date updated: November 3, 2026
Bonobo is a GNOME component model for creating reusable software components and compound documents. The Bonobo Activation API uses .server files to register these components with the Bonobo Activation daemon.
A .server file contains registration information used by applications to tell the Bonobo Activation daemon about the interfaces they support.
Bonobo was primarily used by older GNOME software and is now a legacy technology. These files are therefore mainly encountered on older Linux or Unix systems that still use Bonobo-based applications.
A .server file is a text-based registration file rather than a document intended for interactive use. It can be viewed with a text editor on Linux or another Unix-like system.
Bonobo-based GNOME software reads the file automatically from its component-registration locations. Opening it in a text editor does not launch the registered component, and changing it may prevent that component from being activated.
There is no standard conversion from a .server file to another file format. It is a registration file for the Bonobo Activation API, not a document or media file.
If a Bonobo component must be moved to a different component framework, its registration information generally has to be recreated for that framework rather than converted automatically.
Software applications that handle other tasks involving server files:
Linux/Unix
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