How to Convert ZIP to TAR.Z Using C#

First, you need to obtain and reference the Aspose.Zip library in your C# project. You can typically download it from the Aspose website or use a NuGet package if available. Package manager, search for Aspose.ZIP and install. You may also use the following command from the Package Manager Console.

Manage NuGet packages with the Visual Studio Package

Package Manager Console Command:

PM> Install-Package Aspose.Zip

Steps to Convert ZIP to TAR.Z via C#

Convertation from ZIP to TAR.Z consist of following steps:

  • Extract archive to intermediate storage
  • Compress extracted data to desired format

System Requirements

Before running the conversion example code, make sure that you have the following prerequisites.

  • Microsoft Windows or a compatible OS with .NET Framework, Mono and COM Interop.
  • Development environment like Microsoft Visual Studio.
  • Aspose.Tasks for .NET DLL referenced in your project.

Sample code to convert from ZIP to TAR.Z

The process of converting a ZIP archive into various formats requires a systematic approach. ZIP archives typically comprise multiple files or records, each containing valuable data. To facilitate this transformation into formats like GZ (Gzip), LZ (Lzip), Z (Unix Compress), XZ (XZ Utils), and BZ2 (Bzip2), a widely adopted strategy involves the initial bundling of these contents into a TAR.Z (Tape Archive with Bzip2 Compression) format.

This approach draws parallels with established practices within Linux environments, where TAR.Z archives are commonly employed as a versatile container. During the conversion process, every individual file or record within the ZIP archive is meticulously organized within a single TAR.Z archive. This TAR.Z archive serves as a cohesive repository, meticulously preserving the original file structures and associated metadata. This encapsulation into the TAR.Z format streamlines the subsequent application of diverse compression algorithms and formats.

The choice of TAR.Z as an interim format is underpinned by its inherent simplicity and remarkable compatibility across various Unix-like operating systems. Its ability to group files together without the direct application of compression renders it a pragmatic choice. Following the successful packaging into TAR.Z, subsequent compression operations can be executed to yield the desired output formats, including GZ, LZ, Z, XZ, or BZ2.

In essence, this comprehensive process ensures that the data originally residing in the ZIP archive can be efficiently transformed into a range of formats, offering flexibility and compatibility for various use cases.

Convert from ZIP to TAR.Z - C#:

    using (TarArchive tarArchive = new TarArchive())
    {
        using (Archive archive = new Archive("source.zip"))
        {
            for (int i = 0; i < archive.Entries.Count; i++)
            {
                var ms = new MemoryStream();
                archive.Entries[i].Extract(ms);
                ms.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin);
                tarArchive.CreateEntry(archive.Entries[i].Name.Replace('\\', '/'), ms);
            }
        }
        tarArchive.SaveXzCompressed("output.tar.z");
    }



Free App to Convert ZIP to TAR.Z

Check our live demos for ZIP to TAR.Z conversion with following benefits


A reliable Aspose.ZIP Library that can compress, extract, encrypt, decrypt, convert and merge archives. Aspose.ZIP for .NET API allows to manipulate various archive types without without going into the underlying complexity of the compress file formats with minimum coding efforts.

Other Supported ZIP Conversions

You can also convert ZIP into many other file formats including few listed below.