Data Structure
Networking
RDBMS
Operating System
Java
MS Excel
iOS
HTML
CSS
Android
Python
C Programming
C++
C#
MongoDB
MySQL
Javascript
PHP
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Mathematics
English
Economics
Psychology
Social Studies
Fashion Studies
Legal Studies
- Selected Reading
- UPSC IAS Exams Notes
- Developer's Best Practices
- Questions and Answers
- Effective Resume Writing
- HR Interview Questions
- Computer Glossary
- Who is Who
Difference Between ZIP and RAR
There are various types of file formats available in computer file systems. ZIP and RAR are types of archive file formats that are used to store different types of files and folders in a single container. However, ZIP and RAR file formats are quite different from each other. The most fundamental difference between ZIP and RAR is that ZIP is a standard archive file format that can be enabled in any operating system, whereas RAR is an archive file format that requires a third-party tool named WinRAR for its processing.
Read this tutorial to learn more about the ZIP and RAR file formats and how they are different from each other.
What is ZIP?
ZIP is an archive file format developed for lossless data compression. ZIP format can contain a set of one or more files or subdirectories in a single container. It takes the extension ".zip" or ".ZIP". ZIP file format was developed by Phil Katz in the year of 1989. Initially, it was only used in the PKZIP utility of PKWARE Inc, thereafter it was adopted by other operating systems like Microsoft.
Microsoft has integrated the built-in support of ZIP format in the versions of Microsoft Windows since 1998. ZIP files are mainly used for downloading software or a group of different files.
In a ZIP file, all the components of a software are encapsulated inside a single file. This procedure is advantageous in terms of storage space and time. ZIP file also reduces the downloading time because it retains the hierarchy and organization of the several files inside a single zip file.
Till date, several compression and decompression tools have been developed for creating ZIP files, for example, Win ZIP, Freebyte Zip, 7-Zip, etc.
What is RAR?
RAR stands for Roshal Archive. It is also an archive file format used for storing one or more than one types of files within a single container. One major drawback of RAR is that it requires a specific software for extracting and creating the RAR file. One of such software available is WinRAR.
Similar to ZIP file format, RAR is also employed for compression and transportation of the files like file sharing websites, downloading computer software and software distribution, etc. RAR is also used for error recovering and file scanning. RAR files take the extensions ".rar", ".rev", ".r00", and ".r01".
Difference between ZIP and RAR
The following table highlights all the important differences between ZIP and RAR file formats −
S.No. |
ZIP |
RAR |
|---|---|---|
1. |
It is an archive file format. |
It is a proprietary archive file format that is used for lossless data compression. |
2. |
It was created by Phil Katz as a standard format for the lossless compression of data. |
It was developed by Eugene Roshal. |
3. |
It is free, i.e., open standard. |
It is not free. |
4. |
It has many implementations and is supported in almost all places. |
It requires a third-party tool named WinRAR archiver. |
5. |
The rate of compression of ZIP is lower than that of the RAR format. |
This WinRAR archiver helps compress or decompress files. The rate of compression is better in comparison to ZIP. |
6. |
It offers a password-based protection. |
It does not offer password-based protection. |
7. |
These files can be created with multiple programs like WinRAR, WinZIP, Freebyte Zip. |
The files are limited to one program which is WinRAR. |
8. |
It uses ZIP 2.0 encryption algorithm. |
It uses AES-128 encryption. This encryption technique is much more efficient. |
9. |
It is a comparatively weak algorithm. |
It is a strong algorithm. |
10. |
The filename extension can be ".zip" or ".zipx". |
The filename extensions are ".rar", ".rev", ".r00", ".r01". |
11. |
It uses 'DEFLATE' compression algorithm to compress the data. |
It uses a compression algorithm that is more efficient than 'DEFLATE' compression method. |
12. |
This is not a very efficient method of compression. |
It is relatively an efficient method of compression. |
Conclusion
From the above discussion, we may conclude that ZIP is a standard file format used for archiving and lossless data compression, whereas RAR is a proprietary archive file format that requires a third-party tool named WinRAR archiver.
2K+ Views
