Archive Formats

Purpose

Understanding the fundamentals of archive formats supported by Excavate.

Concepts

An archive format is a file format that combines multiple files and metadata into a single file. Different formats have different characteristics for compression, platform support, and features.

Format Categories

Compressed Archives

Single files with compression:

  • GZIP (.gz) - Single file compression

  • XZ (.xz) - High compression ratio

Archive Containers

Multiple files without compression:

  • TAR (.tar) - Unix tape archive

  • CPIO (.cpio) - Unix copy in/out

Combined Formats

Compression + archiving:

  • TAR.GZ (.tar.gz) - TAR + GZIP

  • TAR.XZ (.tar.xz) - TAR + XZ

Platform-Specific

  • CAB (.cab) - Microsoft Cabinet

  • MSI (.msi) - Windows Installer

  • RPM (.rpm) - Red Hat Package

  • PKG (.pkg) - macOS Package

Format Characteristics

Format Compression Multi-file Platform

ZIP

Yes

Yes

Cross-platform

TAR

No

Yes

Unix

TAR.GZ

Yes

Yes

Unix

7-Zip

Yes

Yes

Cross-platform

CAB

Yes

Yes

Windows

MSI

Yes (nested)

Yes

Windows

RPM

Yes (nested)

Yes

Linux

PKG

Yes (nested)

Yes

macOS

Nested Archives

Some formats commonly contain other archives:

Format Selection

EXE:: May contain 7-Zip or CAB

Choose formats based on:

  • Platform: Windows (MSI, CAB), Linux (RPM, TAR), macOS (PKG)

  • Compression: Highest (7-Zip, XZ), Fast (GZIP), None (TAR)

  • Compatibility: Most compatible (ZIP), Platform-specific (MSI, RPM)

See Also