RAR (file format)

RAR File Format Overview - RAR is a proprietary archive file format developed by Eugene Roshal in 1993. - It supports data compression, error correction, and file spanning. - RAR compression applications and libraries are proprietary software. - RAR supports all versions of the RAR archive format, including RAR3 and RAR5. - The RAR compression algorithm is proprietary and cannot be reverse engineered without written permission. - RAR files can be created and extracted using software like WinRAR, 7-Zip, and libarchive. RAR Versions and Software Support - RAR file format revision history includes versions 1.3, 1.5, 2.0, 2.9, 5.0, and 5.0+. - Each version introduced various changes and improvements. - Version 2.9 introduced encryption, file data compression algorithm improvements, and support for larger archives. - Version 5.0 increased compression dictionary size, maximum path length, and introduced faster compression and decompression. - Version 5.0+ is partially supported by WinRAR 5.0 and later, and fully supported by WinRAR 7.0 and later. - WinRAR is the software for Microsoft Windows that supports RAR files. - RAR software is also available for Linux, FreeBSD, macOS, and Android. - Archive extraction is supported natively in ChromeOS. - WinRAR supports the Windows GUI, while other versions run as console commands. - Different versions of WinRAR have compatibility limitations with older operating systems. Creating and Extracting RAR Files - RAR files can be created legally only with commercial software like WinRAR and RAR for Android. - Command-line RAR and other software with permission from Alexander Roshal can also create RAR files. - Reverse engineering is forbidden by the software license agreements. - RARLAB distributes the unrar program, which can unpack RAR files. - 7-Zip, a free and open-source program, can unpack RAR5 archives. - PeaZip is a free RAR unarchiver that supports both pre-RAR5 and RAR5 formats. - The Unarchiver is a proprietary software unarchiver for RAR and other formats, available on macOS. Other Uses of RAR - The file extension '.rar' is also used for the unrelated Resource Adapter aRchive file format. - The Resource Adapter Archive (RAR) is a packaging format used in Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE) for deploying resource adapters. - RAR is also used as an abbreviation for Resource Adapter Archive in the context of Java EE. Related Archive Formats and Tools - The filename extension '.cbr' is commonly used for comic book archive files, which are essentially RAR archives containing images. - There are many other archive formats available, such as tar, 7-zip, gz, and more. - Comparison of archive formats and file archivers can help in choosing the right tool for specific needs. - Data corruption, bit rot, and disc rot are potential risks that can affect archived files. - The XADMaster library, licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License, also supports RAR extraction.