Huacal

Guide

Which format to use: zip, 7z, tar.gz or rar

Each format is good at something different. This guide tells you which one to pick for what you are going to do with the archive.

In short

  • To send to anyone: zip. Windows and macOS open it without installing anything.
  • To take up less space: 7z. With the same files, Huacal’s 7z came out 21% smaller than zip.
  • For Linux, servers or source code: tar.gz or tar.xz. It is what people expect there.
  • rar: for opening what people send you. Only WinRAR can create it.

The formats at a glance zip 7z tar.gz and tar.xz rar With a password By email

The formats at a glance

FormatUse it toPasswordIn Huacal
.zipSend to anyoneAES-256; names stay visibleCreates and opens
.7zTake up less spaceAES-256; can hide the namesCreates and opens
.tar.gz .tar.xz .tar.bz2Linux, servers, source codeNoneCreates and opens
.gz .xz .bz2Compress a single fileNoneCreates and opens
.rarOpen what people send youOpens protected onesOpens only
.zst .tar.zstOpen what people send youNoneOpens only

zip: the one everyone can open

It is the most widespread format, and so the most compatible. Windows opens it from File Explorer, macOS with a double click, and phones open it too. If you don’t know what the other person has installed, send a zip.

The trade-off is size. In our comparison, the same 189.6 MB became 71.8 MB as zip and 56.9 MB as 7z.

7z: the smallest

It compresses noticeably better than zip, especially documents, source code and databases. It is the best choice for backups and for things you will keep for a long time.

7-Zip, WinRAR, Huacal and nearly every archiver open it. An up-to-date Windows 11 also opens 7z files without a password, with nothing to install; Windows 10 needs a program. If you are not sure what the other person has, use zip.

tar.gz and tar.xz: for Linux and servers

A .tar bundles many files into one without compressing them; the second extension says what that bundle was compressed with. It is the standard format on Linux and macOS, which open it without installing anything.

  • tar.gz: the most common and the fastest of the three.
  • tar.xz: smaller than tar.gz, but slower to create.
  • tar.bz2: in between; these days mostly something you open, not create.

Without the tar in front (.gz, .xz, .bz2), they compress a single file, such as a log file or a database dump.

rar: for opening, not creating

Huacal opens rar files, including password-protected ones, using the official UnRAR library. What it does not do is create them: the UnRAR license only allows WinRAR to create .rar files. If someone asks you to “send it as a rar”, a 7z works just as well and ends up about the same size.

With a password

  • Password-protected zip: Huacal uses AES-256, the strong kind of encryption. But Windows File Explorer cannot open AES zip files: whoever receives it needs 7-Zip, WinRAR or Huacal. Also, the file names are visible without the password; what is protected is their contents.
  • Password-protected 7z: also AES-256, and with “Hide the file names too” nobody can even see the list without the password. If the names give something away (payroll-2026.xlsx), use 7z.

More in Security and privacy.

To send by email

  • Size: many email services accept 20 to 25 MB per message. Huacal can split the archive into 25 MB parts (.001, .002…) so you can send them in several emails. The recipient needs every part, plus 7-Zip, WinRAR or Huacal to join them.
  • Self-extracting (.exe): the recipient needs no program at all, just a double click. But many email services block .exe files, and Windows warns when opening it because it has no digital signature. Use it for a USB drive or a shared folder.