# Binary (classic) A *binary* is an object that represents the physical image on disk of a particular version of an executable file. The sequence of bytes in the executable file completely characterizes the binary. To reduce the quantity of information needed, Nexthink does not identify a binary by its complete sequence of bytes, but by a hash number computed from this sequence. Thus, executable files that share the same name are only represented by the same binary in Nexthink if they share exactly the same sequence of bytes in disk as well. Two executable files with the same name may have a different sequence of bytes because of two reasons: Versioning If the versions of the executable files are different, the files have a different binary image. Therefore, a binary is created for each version of the executable file. Modified executable file If one of the executable files has been altered by any means, the binary image is necessarily different even when the versions of the executable files are the same. A modified file is an indication of malware. Nexthink detects the existence of a binary in your IT infrastructure the first time that the binary is run on one of the monitored devices. *** RELATED REFERENCES * [Binary paths](/platform/references/references-classic/database-information-and-organization-classic/binary-paths-classic.md) * [Maximum number of Binaries](/platform/references/references-classic/database-information-and-organization-classic/maximum-number-of-binaries-classic.md) RELATED CONCEPTS * [Application](/platform/references/references-classic/glossary-classic/application-classic.md) * [Executable](/platform/references/references-classic/glossary-classic/executable-classic.md) * [Object](/platform/references/references-classic/glossary-classic/object-classic.md) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.nexthink.com/platform/references/references-classic/glossary-classic/binary-classic.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.