ADC contact e-mail address

Forum (Main announcement channel)

IRC: OFTC - #adc-archiver (Only used for meetings and events)

ADC (ArchivedDataCodec)

Compatible with: &

Index / Quick Links

• ADC Overview

• Features

• Getting Started

• Installation

  • Windows
  • Linux

• Usage

• License

• Why ADC

• Issues

• Update Schedule

• Contributing

• Contact

• Supported Versions

• Prepare Build environment on Windows .1

• Prepare Build environment on Linux .1

  • Start building on windows .2
  • Start building on Linux .2

ADC (ArchivedDataCodec) is an open-source file extension and archiving/compression tool that uses Zlib for efficient compression and decompression of various file types. With a simple command-line interface, ADC supports both Windows and Linux, making it easy for users to archive and extract files.

ADC Archiver uses a byte-key of 8, meaning that it can create archives without limitations

For the unstable/rolling release see: ADC Aurora

Please note: ADC can currently only pack files, folders aren't supported yet. ADC Aurora supports this now!

Test files here

For container/format info go to FORMAT.md

Features

• Great Compression Algorithm: Utilizes zlib for efficient compression.
• Cross-Platform: Compatible with both Windows and Linux.
• Command-Line Interface: Simple and intuitive interface.
• Support: Supports a wide range of file types.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Users Windows

• Windows 8 or higher Linux
• A Modern Linux distro that has at least glibc 2.31

Developers:

• Python3
• zlib
• tkinter
• progress
• colorama
• cryptography
• bas64
• zipfile
• webbrowser
• urlib
• json
• ssl

Installation

Windows

1. Download the official installer here:

Linux

Tarball

Download the tarball and run install.sh, this will copy the files to /opt and make a symlink to /usr/local/bin.

To remove run remove.sh in the same tarball.

Download tarball

Command

Dependencies:

1. Wget
2. xz-utils

Run:

mkdir -p ~/adc-temp && cd ~/adc-temp && wget -O adc.tar.xz "https://github.com/Mealman1551/ArchivedDataCodec/releases/download/v1.4.3/adc.tar.xz" && tar -xJf adc.tar.xz && sudo ./install.sh && cd ~ && rm -rf ~/adc-temp

to install ADC without leaving any garbage

To remove ADC you can run:

wget -O- "https://gitlab.com/adc-project/bash/-/raw/main/remove.sh" | bash

ADC has multiple mirrors

• GitHub (Recommended)
• SourceForge

Unix (BSD, Solaris)

1. Install Python3
2. Install requirements.txt
3. Install python3-tk
4. Download the source code from /src
5. Run the source code in python3

Usage

Download the program for Windows or Linux. Tarballs and setups available in the Releases tab.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU GPL-3.0 License. You are free to use, modify, and distribute it under the terms of the license.

Why ADC

• ADC is a purpose-built archiving format No historical baggage, no legacy compromises. ADC is designed with a single, clear structure and a strict data layout.
• Linear and predictable archive layout Archives are written and read sequentially from start to end. No central directories, no backward seeks, no hidden tables.
• Straightforward to implement in any language The format is compact and explicit. A complete reader or writer can be implemented without complex or specialized libraries.
• Full control over the archive contents Each file is processed, compressed, and stored individually. There is no implicit metadata or opaque behavior.
• Built-in modern encryption Optional password protection is integrated into the format using proven cryptography, not external tooling.
• Deterministic behavior ADC behaves consistently and predictably. The same input produces the same structural output every time.
• Tooling-first design ADC is designed as a technical foundation. The CLI is an interface on top of the format, not the core of it.
• Extensible without legacy constraints The format can evolve without being locked into decades of backward-compatibility decisions.
• Cross-platform by design ADC archives behave identically across supported operating systems.
• Fully transparent and open The format is inspectable, understandable, and auditable. No black boxes, no closed specifications.
• Built for engineers ADC is focused, explicit, and controlled. It is designed for people who want to understand and own their tooling.

Issues

Create an issue easily without the need for a GitHub account via this form.

Update Schedule

I select a date myself what is the best time, cuz i have work. Meanwhile, the rolling release Python source script ADC Aurora will be updated monthly, if not weekly.

Release flow

1. ADC Canary, live updated repo, not meant to use.
2. after ADC Canary the working code will be ported to ADC Aurora asap.
3. Stable version will be based on Aurora's source code after testing the code, if there are bugs i will use a stable Aurora script.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See the CONTRIBUTING.md file.

Contact

Have questions or want to learn more? Feel free to reach out via this mail address.

GitLab

I have 2 ADC Repos on Gitlab, one is a continuously updated mirror of the Main branch (Stable only), and the other is the Canary repo, meant to be before Aurora.

Mirror/Main(Stable) GitLab repo of ADC: ADC on GitLab

Unstable (Aurora) is only on GitHub!

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For Canary/continuous live development see: ADC Canary on GitLab

DO NOT USE THE CANARY REPO AS MAIN SOURCE, THIS IS LIVE DEVELOPMENT ONLY!

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ADC Core Utils are for OEM manufacturers or people who only want to open a .adc file:

ADC-Core-Util

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Syncing to GitLab

Syncing to GitLab is done via the gitlab-sync.yml file in /.github/workflows/gitlab-sync.yml

Notes

If you want to support the project please consider a small donation: <a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LEE83CJJ2BEJC"> <img src="https://centerproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/paypal-donate-button-high-quality-png-1_orig.png" alt="Donate button" width="100"/> </a>

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No macOS support

ADC Archiver does NOT support macOS, and it never will. This is a deliberate decision to take a stand against the growing dominance of proprietary ecosystems and Apple’s developer restrictions. This project supports open platforms only: Windows and Linux/Unix.

You can ofc run the source code but official binaries and/or setups are not compiled for macOS!

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Supported Versions

Version	Release Type	Supported	EOL (End Of Life)
1.4.x	LTS	✅	18-10-2029
1.3.x	Regular	✅	15-05-2027
1.2.0	Regular	✅	15-11-2026
1.1.0	Regular	✅	15-05-2026
1.0.0	Regular	❌	15-11-2025

Build ADC

Note

For compiling on Python 3.13 and up, a C compiler is required. On Linux, GCC is sufficient. On Windows, MSVC (cl.exe) is required > >via Visual Studio Build Tools 2022. Python 3.12 can compile without a C compiler using MinGW64.

Supported versions: 1.0.0, 1.1.0, 1.2.0, 1.3.1, 1.4.3. Use make windows or make linux for the latest version (1.4.3), or x.x.x-windows / x.x.x-linux for a specific version.

Building on Windows

Preparing build environment on Windows

Please disable Windows Defender as it may block compilation.

Installing Make

Options to install GNU Make:

Option 1 — WinGet (Recommended)

winget install GnuWin32.Make

Add Make to PATH. More info

Option 2 — Chocolatey

choco install make

Downloading and extracting source code

1. Download and extract: source_code.zip

Installing Python and VS Build Tools

1. Install Python 3.13.x (64-bit). Ensure pip is installed and Python is added to PATH.

python --version

2. Install Visual Studio Build Tools 2022:

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.BuildTools --override "--add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.VCTools --includeRecommended"

3. Open VS Developer PowerShell:

Import-Module "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools\Common7\Tools\Microsoft.VisualStudio.DevShell.dll"
Enter-VsDevShell -VsInstallPath "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools" -DevCmdArguments "-arch=x64 -host_arch=x64"

Then:

cd ArchivedDataCodec-1.4.3

Then:

make deps-windows

Start building on Windows

Warning

Do NOT run the binary while compiling!

Warning

Do NOT install MinGW64 if Nuitka asks for it. You CAN install depends.exe if Nuitka asks for it.

Compile the latest version:

make windows

Or specific version:

make 1.3.1-windows

Run the binary:

cd dist
./ADC_Archiver_1.4.3.exe

or

./ADC_Archiver_1.3.1.exe

Clean build:

make clean-windows

Debug build (Optional) Only use if you really need to, normally make windows is the best option:

make debug-windows

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Building on Linux

Preparing build environment on Linux

Install dependencies:

sudo apt install build-essential pip python3-tk make patchelf ccache scons

Ensure Python 3.10+:

python3 --version

Download and extract source: source_code.tar.gz

Install additional dependencies:

make deps-linux

Restart or logoff to apply packages.

Start building on Linux

Warning

Do NOT run the binary while compiling!

Compile latest version:

make linux

Or specific version:

make 1.3.1-linux

Run the binary:

cd dist
./ADC_Archiver_1.4.3.bin

or

./ADC_Archiver_1.3.1.bin

Clean build:

make clean-linux

Debug build (optional):

make debug-linux

Notes

Specific old versions can be compiled with commands like make 1.1.0-windows or make 1.2.0-linux. Version 1.0.0 is deprecated; compilation is possible but not recommended.

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Made with 💚 by Mealman1551

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© 2024 - 2025 Mealman1551 – The ADC Project and contributors

Licensed under the GNU GPL v3.0 or later.