macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libzzipprovider-native install command
brew / rank 1260
Install libzzip with Homebrew
Library providing read access on ZIP-archives. Version 0.13.80 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Library providing read access on ZIP-archives
Project links
Commands and aliases
- unzip-mem
- unzzip
- unzzip-big
- unzzip-mem
- unzzip-mix
- zzcat
- zzdir
- zzxorcat
- zzxorcopy
- zzxordir
history
Project history and usage
ZZIPlib is a lightweight C library for read access to ZIP archives and unpacked data, best known for POSIX-shaped zzip_ functions that can make zipped resources look file-like to an application.
Project history
The official history says Guido Draheim developed zziplib from Tomi Ollila's zip08x work. The API documentation says Draheim picked up Ollila's ZIP decoder routines and wrapped them with call signatures resembling POSIX file APIs, so zzip_open has the same general shape as open(2) but can open zipped files.
The SourceForge documentation dates the ZIP access page to June 1, 2000 and the programmer interface page to July 20, 2002. The project page notes that it was later hosted on GitHub, and the GitHub repository summary says the project originated in 1999, was adopted by Guido Draheim in 2000, and moved to GitHub in 2017 for easier collaboration.
Adoption history
zziplib found its niche in applications that wanted to bundle many read-only resource files into a single ZIP while keeping code close to ordinary file and directory access. The documentation explicitly names game and graphics application developers as requesters of extension and custom I/O support.
Its model is intentionally narrower than full ZIP tools: applications can create archives with ordinary zip/unzip utilities and then ship zziplib only for final read access. That made it attractive for packaged games, resource archives, and embedded or portable software where a small zlib-based reader was enough.
How it is used
Developers can call direct ZIP APIs such as zzip_dir_open and zzip_file_open, or use magic wrappers such as zzip_open, zzip_read, and zzip_close. The extension I/O layer lets applications recognize ZIP-derived formats such as JAR or game-resource extensions and route reads through custom handlers.
Why package nerds care
ZZIPlib is interesting because it captures an old packaging trick: ship assets as ZIP files but let code pretend they are files. The LGPL/MPL licensing, zlib dependency, POSIX-like API, SDL-oriented examples, and odd collection of small tools make it a very package-nerd archive library.
Timeline
- 1999: Tomi Ollila explored ZIP decoder routines that became part of zziplib's ancestry.
- 2000-06-01: The zziplib ZIP access documentation was created.
- 2002-04: Ollila gave up remaining zip08x copyright restrictions and pointed the zip08x README to zziplib, according to the project history.
- 2002-07-20: The programmer interface documentation described zzip_open and related POSIX-like APIs.
- 2017: The project moved to GitHub for collaboration.
Related projects
- zziplib depends on zlib for decompression and sits near Info-ZIP, PKWARE ZIP specifications, zipios++, SDL resource-loading examples, Java JAR files, Quake PK3 files, and OpenOffice or StarOffice ZIP-based document formats.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
library-like package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- library-like package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:library-like
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
unzip-mem | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
unzzip | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
unzzip-big | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
unzzip-mem | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
unzzip-mix | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
zzcat | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
zzdir | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
zzxorcat | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
zzxorcopy | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
zzxordir | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-08-03
manager version0.13.80
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:libzzip |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.13.80 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/gdraheim/zziplib |
| Repository | https://github.com/gdraheim/zziplib |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation