rZip
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Supported Formats and Compatibility
Comprehensive format matrix for rZip: libarchive and 7-Zip engine division, supported creation formats, and package inspection.
Comprehensive Engine and Format Matrix
rZip selects the optimal internal engine based on archive format and task:
| Format Container | Extensions | Read Engine | Browse / RAM Preview | Extract | Create | Password & Encryption |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZIP | .zip | libarchive / 7-Zip | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ZipCrypto & AES-256 |
| 7-Zip | .7z | libarchive / 7-Zip | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | AES-256 (+ Header -mhe) |
| RAR (v4 & v5) | .rar | libarchive / 7-Zip | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Passwords and Names (-hp) |
| UNIX TAR | .tar | libarchive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Not supported |
| GZip | .gz, .tgz | libarchive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Not supported |
| BZip2 | .bz2, .tbz2 | libarchive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Not supported |
| XZ | .xz, .txz | libarchive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Not supported |
| ISO Disk Images | .iso, .img | libarchive | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Not supported |
| Apple Disk Image | .dmg | libarchive | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Unencrypted HFS+/APFS |
| Windows Cabinet | .cab | libarchive | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Not supported |
| XAR / pkg | .xar, .pkg | libarchive | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Digital signatures verified |
| LHA / LZH | .lha, .lzh | libarchive | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Legacy archives |
| CPIO / AR | .cpio, .ar, .deb | libarchive | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Linux/UNIX packages |
| Digital Comic Books | .cbz, .cbr | libarchive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (as CBZ) | Pages streamed in RAM |
| eBooks / Java | .epub, .jar, .apk | libarchive | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (as ZIP) | Standard ZIP packages |
[!NOTE] Why RAR Creation is Not Supported: RAR compression is proprietary to RARLAB and protected by commercial patents. Creating RAR archives requires closed-source licensing incompatible with open distribution. rZip supports full legal decompression, inspection, and decryption of RAR archives, and provides a one-click Convert to Another Format… feature to migrate RAR archives into standard 7z or ZIP packages.
Specialized Package Inspection
Beyond raw files, rZip inspects complex Apple bundle packages without unpacking them:
- Applications (
.app): Displays application icons, bundle identifier, version and build number, digital code signature, Apple Notarization ticket, and supported Mach-O architectures (Apple Silicon and Intel). - Installer Packages (
.pkg): Inspects internal XAR payloads, package components, and target installation directories on your Mac. - Frameworks and Plug-ins (
.framework,.plugin,.appex): Validates binary architectures and macOS runtime compatibility.