What Is a ZIP File?

The ZIP file format is a file format for data compression and document storage. The original name was Deflate. The inventor was Phil Katz. He published the data in January 1989. ZIP usually uses the extension ".zip" and its MIME format is application / zip. Currently, the ZIP format is one of several mainstream compression formats, and its competitors include the RAR format and the open source 7z format. From a performance comparison, RAR and 7z formats have higher compression rates than ZIP formats, and 7-Zip is gradually being applied in more fields because it provides free compression tools. Microsoft has built-in support for the zip format from the Windows ME operating system. Even if the user's computer does not have decompression software installed, it can open and make compressed files in zip format. Similar support. Therefore, if files are distributed and distributed on the Internet, the zip format is often the most common choice.

Because the format is open and free. More and more software has built-in support for opening Zip files. At this time, the Zip file is more and more like a compressed transparent folder.

• Since Windows Me, Windows has built-in support for opening and compressing Zip files.

• Some software download tools support partial download of Zip files and then recovery.

• More and more software has built-in support for opening Zip files.

• Almost all compression software supports opening and making Zip files.

ZIP is a fairly simple archive format that compresses each file separately. Compressing files separately allows you to retrieve separate files without having to read additional data; in theory, this format allows different algorithms to be used for different files. Regardless of the method, one caveat to this format is that for files containing many small files, the archive will be significantly more compressed than a separate file (a classic example is common in Unix-like systems

Due to its early appearance in the market, today's Zip files have many shortcomings that cannot be ignored compared to other compression formats.

Natively does not support Unicode file names, which can easily cause some resource sharing difficulties. Resource exchange in the East Asian cultural circle is particularly significant; compression ratios that cannot be compared with 7z and the lack of recovery support functions such as Recovery Record of WinRAR are also fading s reason.

Basically, the development of Zip files is driven by PKware and Winzip. However, the two companies' suspicions on certain issues led to slow development. The goal that people currently want to achieve in Zip files is to strengthen the encryption capabilities of current Zip files. For the moment, Zip's file encryption capabilities are pitifully weak, and a single password protection alone cannot satisfy the security requirements at all. Although Katz revealed the format when he was alive, there was room for future upgrades when he produced it. Winzip is just a user, and it is impossible to publish a new standard. The right to make standards is still in the hands of PKware. In 2002, PKware developed PKZIP 5.0 supporting 256-bit AES encryption, but Winzip 9 released by Winzip in 2003 proved to be incompatible with it. Both sides accused each other of violating Zip's spirit of freedom and openness. This is the first severe challenge for Zip since its birth.