Python's zipfile: Manipulate Your ZIP Files Efficiently
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Python’s zipfile
module allows you to efficiently manipulate ZIP files, a standard format for compressing and archiving data. With this module, you can create, read, write, extract, and list files within ZIP archives.
By the end of this tutorial, you’ll understand that:
- Python’s
zipfile
module lets you create, read, and modify ZIP files. - You can extract specific files or all contents from a ZIP archive using
zipfile
. - Reading metadata about ZIP contents is straightforward with
zipfile
. - You can compress files in ZIP archives using different algorithms.
PyZipFile
allows you to bundle Python modules and packages into ZIP files for distribution.
This tutorial teaches you how to handle ZIP files using Python’s zipfile
, making file management and data exchange over networks more efficient. Understanding these concepts will enhance your ability to work with compressed files in Python, optimizing both data storage and transfer.
To get the most out of this tutorial, you should know the basics of working with files, using the with
statement, handling file system paths with pathlib
, and working with classes and object-oriented programming.
To get the files and archives that you’ll use to code the examples in this tutorial, click the link below:
Get Materials: Click here to get a copy of the files and archives that you’ll use to run the examples in this zipfile tutorial.
Getting Started With ZIP Files
ZIP files are a well-known and popular tool in today’s digital world. These files are fairly popular and widely used for cross-platform data exchange over computer networks, notably the Internet.
You can use ZIP files for bundling regular files together into a single archive, compressing your data to save some disk space, distributing your digital products, and more. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to manipulate ZIP files using Python’s zipfile
module.
Because the terminology around ZIP files can be confusing at times, this tutorial will stick to the following conventions regarding terminology:
Term | Meaning |
---|---|
ZIP file, ZIP archive, or archive | A physical file that uses the ZIP file format |
File | A regular computer file |
Member file | A file that is part of an existing ZIP file |
Having these terms clear in your mind will help you avoid confusion while you read through the upcoming sections. Now you’re ready to continue learning how to manipulate ZIP files efficiently in your Python code!
What Is a ZIP File?
You’ve probably already encountered and worked with ZIP files. Yes, those with the .zip
file extension are everywhere! ZIP files, also known as ZIP archives, are files that use the ZIP file format.
PKWARE is the company that created and first implemented this file format. The company put together and maintains the current format specification, which is publicly available and allows the creation of products, programs, and processes that read and write files using the ZIP file format.
The ZIP file format is a cross-platform, interoperable file storage and transfer format. It combines lossless data compression, file management, and data encryption.
Data compression isn’t a requirement for an archive to be considered a ZIP file. So you can have compressed or uncompressed member files in your ZIP archives. The ZIP file format supports several compression algorithms, though Deflate is the most common. The format also supports information integrity checks with CRC32.
Even though there are other similar archiving formats, such as RAR and TAR files, the ZIP file format has quickly become a common standard for efficient data storage and for data exchange over computer networks.
ZIP files are everywhere. For example, office suites such as Microsoft Office and Libre Office rely on the ZIP file format as their document container file. This means that .docx
, .xlsx
, .pptx
, .odt
, .ods
, and .odp
files are actually ZIP archives containing several files and folders that make up each document. Other common files that use the ZIP format include .jar
, .war
, and .epub
files.
You may be familiar with GitHub, which provides web hosting for software development and version control using Git. GitHub uses ZIP files to package software projects when you download them to your local computer. For example, you can download the exercise solutions for Python Basics: A Practical Introduction to Python 3 book in a ZIP file, or you can download any other project of your choice.
ZIP files allow you to aggregate, compress, and encrypt files into a single interoperable and portable container. You can stream ZIP files, split them into segments, make them self-extracting, and more.
Why Use ZIP Files?
Knowing how to create, read, write, and extract ZIP files can be a useful skill for developers and professionals who work with computers and digital information. Among other benefits, ZIP files allow you to:
- Reduce the size of files and their storage requirements without losing information
- Improve transfer speed over the network due to reduced size and single-file transfer
- Pack several related files together into a single archive for efficient management
- Bundle your code into a single archive for distribution purposes
- Secure your data by using encryption, which is a common requirement nowadays
- Guarantee the integrity of your information to avoid accidental and malicious changes to your data
Read the full article at https://realpython.com/python-zipfile/ »
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January 26, 2025 at 07:30PM
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