Create a New ZIP Archive File in Java

Creating a ZIP file is one of the best ways to compress large amounts of data into an easily shareable format. The format was originally developed in 1989 for use by PKWARE Inc.’s PKZIP utility and was quickly picked and implemented by other software utilities, such as Microsoft and Apple. Since then, the term “zipping a file” has become synonymous with file compression.

There are many advantages to zipping files, with the most obvious reason being to optimize file storage. If you have an abundance of infrequently used files, they can be archived into a single, easily located ZIP file. Other advantages of zipping files include the ability to securely email a previously unmanageable amount of information to a client, as well as the easy transference to USB flash drives.

The following APIs will show you how to create a new ZIP archive file in Java, providing options for both encrypted and unencrypted archives. 

Our first step in the process is to install the Maven SDK by adding a reference to the repository in pom.xml:

<repositories>

    <repository>

        <id>jitpack.io</id>

        <url>https://jitpack.io</url>

    </repository>

</repositories>

Then, add a reference to the dependency:

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<dependencies>

<dependency>

    <groupId>com.github.Cloudmersive</groupId>

    <artifactId>Cloudmersive.APIClient.Java</artifactId>

    <version>v3.90</version>

</dependency>

</dependencies>

After this, we can add the imports to the top of our controller and configure the API Key; to retrieve your personal API key, head to the Cloudmersive website to register for a free account. 

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// Import classes:

//import com.cloudmersive.client.invoker.ApiClient;

//import com.cloudmersive.client.invoker.ApiException;

//import com.cloudmersive.client.invoker.Configuration;

//import com.cloudmersive.client.invoker.auth.*;

//import com.cloudmersive.client.ZipArchiveApi;

ApiClient defaultClient = Configuration.getDefaultApiClient();

// Configure API key authorization: Apikey

ApiKeyAuth Apikey = (ApiKeyAuth) defaultClient.getAuthentication("Apikey");

Apikey.setApiKey("YOUR API KEY");

// Uncomment the following line to set a prefix for the API key, e.g. "Token" (defaults to null)

//Apikey.setApiKeyPrefix("Token");

Now that we’ve completed these steps, we are ready to call our API functions. The first API will produce a straightforward, unencrypted archive file, with compression allowance for up to ten files. Once you have input the target files, we can call the function with the following code:

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ZipArchiveApi apiInstance = new ZipArchiveApi();

File inputFile1 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | First input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile2 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Second input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile3 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Third input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile4 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Fourth input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile5 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Fifth input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile6 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Sixth input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile7 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Seventh input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile8 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Eighth input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile9 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Ninth input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile10 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Tenth input file to perform the operation on.

try {

    byte[] result = apiInstance.zipArchiveZipCreate(inputFile1, inputFile2, inputFile3, inputFile4, inputFile5, inputFile6, inputFile7, inputFile8, inputFile9, inputFile10);

    System.out.println(result);

} catch (ApiException e) {

    System.err.println("Exception when calling ZipArchiveApi#zipArchiveZipCreate");

    e.printStackTrace();

}

If you need to share the archive with a client or partner, you may want to encrypt the file to ensure the information is secure. The following API will perform the same zipping of the file, but will add encryption and password protection:

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ZipArchiveApi apiInstance = new ZipArchiveApi();

String password = "password_example"; // String | Password to place on the Zip file; the longer the password, the more secure

File inputFile1 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | First input file to perform the operation on.

String encryptionAlgorithm = "encryptionAlgorithm_example"; // String | Encryption algorithm to use; possible values are AES-256 (recommended), AES-128, and PK-Zip (not recommended; legacy, weak encryption algorithm). Default is AES-256.

File inputFile2 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Second input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile3 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Third input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile4 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Fourth input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile5 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Fifth input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile6 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Sixth input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile7 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Seventh input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile8 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Eighth input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile9 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Ninth input file to perform the operation on.

File inputFile10 = new File("/path/to/inputfile"); // File | Tenth input file to perform the operation on.

try {

    byte[] result = apiInstance.zipArchiveZipCreateEncrypted(password, inputFile1, encryptionAlgorithm, inputFile2, inputFile3, inputFile4, inputFile5, inputFile6, inputFile7, inputFile8, inputFile9, inputFile10);

    System.out.println(result);

} catch (ApiException e) {

    System.err.println("Exception when calling ZipArchiveApi#zipArchiveZipCreateEncrypted");

    e.printStackTrace();

}

For the encrypted zip function to run smoothly, you will need to input these additional parameters:

• Password - the password to place on the Zip file; the longer the password, the more secure.
• Encryption algorithm – possible values for the encryption algorithm are AES-256 (recommended), AES-128, and PK-Zip (not recommended; legacy, weak encryption algorithm). Default is AES-256.

And that will do it! By the end of the process, you will have a storage-friendly and easily shareable ZIP file.