Zip Viewer

The Zip Viewer & Inspector analyzes archives by parsing the archive structure to enumerate entries without extracting content. It returns a structured listing that includes each entry’s path, type (file or directory), uncompressed and compressed sizes, modification times, and CRC checksums where available. This non-destructive approach is valuable for developers, QA, and operations teams preparing artifacts for release or transfer.
Conceptually, the tool reads the ZIP central directory, then iterates through each local header to collect metadata. It can filter results by file extension, sort by path or size, and optionally require a password for encrypted archives. Output is a machine-readable listing plus a summary that supports downstream automation and reporting.
Unique value lies in its focus on metadata over content, enabling quick validation of archive composition, inventory for builds, and compliance checks without decompressing any data. It scales to large archives, provides exact byte counts, and supports export in CSV or JSON for integration with CI, asset management, or security workflows.
Common use cases include pre-submission validation, release artifact verification, and content audits of delivered packages. The tool supports straightforward integration into pipelines and can compare archives by content signature or size to detect unintended differences.