Archive Content Lister
Upload any archive (ZIP, TAR, TAR.GZ, GZip) and instantly list its contents without extracting. The archive content lister shows file names, sizes, compression ratios, and modification dates - with sortable columns, search filtering, and summary statistics. All processing runs in your browser with complete privacy - no uploads, no signup, and 100% free.
Why Use Our Archive Content Lister?
Instant Archive Content Viewer
Upload any supported archive and instantly view its complete contents - file names, sizes, compression ratios, and modification dates. The archive content lister extracts all metadata without extracting the files, giving you a clear overview in seconds.
100% Private & Browser-Based
Your archives never leave your device. The archive content lister runs entirely in your browser using JSZip and fflate - no uploads to any server, no cloud storage, no data transmission. Complete privacy guaranteed for sensitive archive inspection.
No Software Installation Required
Inspect ZIP, TAR, TAR.GZ, and GZip archives directly in any modern browser. No 7-Zip, WinRAR, or command-line tools needed. The archive content lister works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile devices instantly.
100% Free Forever
The archive content lister is completely free with no signup, no premium tier, no file size limits, and no ads. Inspect unlimited archives at zero cost - no account required, forever.
Common Use Cases for Archive Content Lister
Security Audit of Downloaded Archives
Before extracting a downloaded ZIP or TAR.GZ file, use the archive content lister to preview its contents. Check for suspicious file names, unexpected executables, or hidden files - without ever extracting to your system.
Verify Backup Archive Integrity
Inspect backup archives to confirm all expected files are present and check their sizes. The archive content lister lets you verify backup completeness without restoring the entire archive.
Software Distribution Inspection
Examine software packages, plugin bundles, and library distributions before integrating them. Quickly verify the file count, check directory structure, and confirm file sizes match expectations.
Archive Structure Debugging
When debugging CI/CD artifact issues, use the archive content lister to compare archive contents across builds. Check if expected files are present and verify compression ratios are normal.
Client Deliverable Verification
Before sending deliverable archives to clients, inspect the contents to confirm all required files are included, paths are correct, and the archive structure is professional and well-organised.
Data Migration & Archive Comparison
When migrating data between systems, use the archive content lister to inspect exported archives at both ends. Verify file counts, check for empty directories, and confirm total sizes match.
Understanding Archive Content Listing
What is an Archive Content Lister?
An archive content lister is a tool that reads the table of contents (TOC) of an archive file - such as ZIP, TAR, TAR.GZ, or GZip - and displays its contents without extracting the files. It shows you each entry's file name, uncompressed size, compressed size, compression ratio, and last modification date. This is essential for quickly inspecting archives before deciding whether to extract them or for verifying their contents match expectations.
How Our Archive Content Lister Works
- Upload Your Archive: Drag and drop any supported archive file (ZIP, TAR, TAR.GZ, GZip) onto the upload zone. All processing happens locally in your browser - your file never leaves your device.
- Automatic Format Detection:The archive content lister reads the file's magic bytes to identify the archive format. ZIP archives start with "PK", GZip files start with 0x1F 0x8B, and TAR archives contain a "ustar" header at byte offset 257. Extension-based fallback handles edge cases.
- Comprehensive Content Display: View a sortable table of all entries showing file names, sizes, compression ratios, and dates. The archive content lister also shows summary statistics - total files, directories, uncompressed size, and overall compression ratio.
Archive Formats and Compression Explained
- ZIP (.zip): The most widely used archive format, supported on all operating systems. ZIP can store multiple files and directories, each compressed independently using DEFLATE. The archive content lister uses JSZip to read ZIP central directories and per-entry metadata.
- TAR (.tar): A sequential archive format common on Unix/Linux systems. TAR bundles files one after another with 512-byte headers but applies no compression on its own - it is usually combined with GZip (.tar.gz). The archive content lister parses the ustar header format to extract file metadata.
- TAR.GZip (.tar.gz / .tgz): A TAR archive wrapped in GZip compression. The archive content lister first decompresses the GZip layer using fflate, then parses the inner TAR structure - showing you both the compressed size and the uncompressed content listing.
- GZip (.gz): A single-file compression format (not an archive format). GZip wraps a single file with compression metadata including the original filename, comment, and CRC32 checksum. The archive content lister reads the GZip header and trailer to extract this information.
Privacy and Data Handling
Your privacy is paramount. The archive content lister processes everything entirely in your browser using JSZip (for ZIP) and fflate (for GZip/TAR.GZ). Archive files are read into memory via the File API and parsed locally. No data is sent to any server, stored in any cloud, logged, or shared. You can inspect sensitive archives with complete confidence. For TAR.GZ files, decompression also happens solely in your browser.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Archive Content Lister
An archive content lister is a tool that reads the table of contents of archive files (ZIP, TAR, TAR.GZ, GZip) and displays the file names, sizes, compression ratios, and modification dates - without extracting the files. It gives you a complete overview of what is inside an archive before you decide to extract it.
The archive content lister supports ZIP (.zip), TAR (.tar), TAR.GZ (.tar.gz, .tgz), and GZip (.gz, .gzip) formats. ZIP is read using JSZip. TAR is parsed by reading the ustar header format. TAR.GZ files are first decompressed with fflate then parsed as TAR. GZip files are read from their header and trailer metadata.
Yes, completely. The archive content lister runs entirely in your browser using JSZip and fflate libraries. Your archive files are never uploaded to any server and never leave your device. All parsing happens locally with complete privacy guaranteed - ideal for inspecting sensitive or confidential archives.
Yes - 100% free, forever. No signup, no account, no premium tier, no file size limits, and no ads. Inspect unlimited archives completely free with no restrictions.
Yes. For ZIP archives, the archive content lister shows each file's compressed size alongside its uncompressed size with the calculated compression ratio. For TAR.GZ archives, you can see the overall compression ratio. For plain TAR (which has no compression) and GZip (which is a single-file stream), per-entry ratios may not be available.
The compression ratio shows how much file size was reduced by compression. It is calculated as: ((uncompressed size - compressed size) / uncompressed size) × 100%. A ratio of 60% means the compressed file is 60% smaller than the original. Higher percentages indicate better compression. Negative ratios mean the compressed version is larger than the original.
Since parsing runs entirely in your browser, the practical limit depends on your device RAM. The tool needs to hold the entire archive in memory. For very large ZIP files, JSZip may take a moment to read the central directory. TAR.GZ files need to be fully decompressed in memory. Most modern devices handle archives up to several hundred MB without issues.
No - the archive content lister is designed for inspection only. It shows you what is inside the archive without extracting any files. This makes it safe and fast for quickly checking archive contents without writing any data to disk. To extract files, use a dedicated extraction tool on your device.