Archive file
Also known as: archive, compressed archive, what is an archive file
An archive file bundles many files and folders into one container — for example a ZIP, RAR, or 7z. Most archives also compress their contents to save space, but some (like plain TAR) only bundle without shrinking anything.
- Bundles many files into one container
- May compress (ZIP, 7z) or just bundle (TAR)
- Extracting duplicates the data — delete the archive after
Bundling vs compressing
An archive does two related jobs that people often conflate. Bundling packs a whole folder tree into a single file that is easy to email, upload, or download as one item. Compression then shrinks that bundle so it takes less storage. ZIP, RAR, and 7z do both at once; a bare TAR bundles without compressing.
To use the files inside, you extract (unzip) the archive. Extraction writes a fresh, full-size copy of every file to disk — so right after extracting you have both the archive and the unpacked copy taking up space.
The storage angle
Archives are a storage win in two ways: a compressed archive of documents or logs can be a fraction of the original size, and bundling keeps thousands of loose files tidy. Once you have extracted what you need and confirmed it opens, you can usually delete the archive to avoid keeping two copies.
Download folders are a common place archives pile up — you unzip an installer or dataset, use it, and the original .zip or .rar lingers for months.