| Type | Description |
| CD-R | CD-Recordable. Write Once, Read Many. (WORM) |
| CD-RW | CD-Rewritable. Write Many, Read Many. |
| ISO-9660 | DOS compatible file system (8.3 character file names) for CD's. Requires extensions like “Rock Ridge” to fully support UNIX/Linux. |
| Rock Ridge | ISO-9660 extension to allow long file names, UNIX symlinks and file protection (rwx). Windows readable. |
| Joliet | Microsoft extension to ISO-9660. Creates MS/Windows 95 like 8.3 file names with translation to 64 character names. |
| Multisession | Allows adding/writing files at a later time. Session must be closed before it is readable. |
| DAO | Burn entire audio CD at once in a single burn. It's the only way to avoid delays between tracks. |
| TAO | Burn a track at a time. Results in 2 second delay between audio tracks. |