Getting Started with IronZIP

Name: IronZIP
Brand: Iron Software
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5 (2 reviews)

Updated: August 2, 2026

IronZIP: Your All-in-One Archive Library for .NET

IronZIP is an archive compression and decompression library developed by Iron Software. In addition to the widely used ZIP format, it can also handle TAR, GZIP, and BZIP2.

C# Archive Compression and Decompression Library

Download the C# library for file compression and decompression
Handle ZIP, TAR, GZIP, and BZIP2 formats
Customize compression levels from 0 to 9
Extract content from compressed archives
Append files to existing ZIP archives and generate new ZIP files

Compatibility

IronZIP has cross-platform support compatibility with:

.NET Version Support:

C#, VB.NET, F#
.NET 7, 6, 5, and Core 3.1+
.NET Standard (2.0+)
.NET Framework (4.6.2+)

Operating Systems and Environments Support:

Windows (10+, Server 2016+)
Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, etc.)
macOS (10+)
iOS (12+)
Android API 21+ (v5 "Lollipop")
Docker (Windows, Linux, Azure)
Azure (VPS, WebApp, Function)
AWS (EC2, Lambda)

.NET Project Types Support:

Web (Blazor & WebForms)
Mobile (Xamarin & MAUI)
Desktop (WPF & MAUI)
Console (App & Library)

Installation

IronZIP Library

To install the IronZIP package, use the following command in your terminal or package manager console:

PM > Install-Package IronZip

Install-Package IronZip

Alternatively, download directly from the official IronZIP NuGet website.

Once installed, you can get started by adding using IronZip; to the top of your C# code.

Applying License Key

Next, apply a valid license or trial key to IronZIP by assigning the license key to the LicenseKey property of the License class. Include the following code right after the import statement, before using any IronZIP methods:

using IronZip;

// Apply your license key here
IronZip.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY";

using IronZip;

// Apply your license key here
IronZip.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY";

Imports IronZip

' Apply your license key here
IronZip.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"

Imports IronZip

' Apply your license key here
IronZip.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"

Code Examples

Create an Archive Example

Create a ZIP file using the using statement. Inside the using block, use the AddArchiveEntry method to import files into the ZIP file. Finally, export the ZIP file with the SaveAs method.

using IronZip;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Create a new ZIP file
        using (var archive = new ZipArchive())
        {
            // Add a file to the archive
            archive.AddArchiveEntry("example.txt", File.ReadAllBytes("path/to/example.txt"));

            // Save the ZIP archive
            archive.SaveAs("archive.zip");
        }
    }
}

using IronZip;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Create a new ZIP file
        using (var archive = new ZipArchive())
        {
            // Add a file to the archive
            archive.AddArchiveEntry("example.txt", File.ReadAllBytes("path/to/example.txt"));

            // Save the ZIP archive
            archive.SaveAs("archive.zip");
        }
    }
}

Imports IronZip
Imports System.IO

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		' Create a new ZIP file
		Using archive = New ZipArchive()
			' Add a file to the archive
			archive.AddArchiveEntry("example.txt", File.ReadAllBytes("path/to/example.txt"))

			' Save the ZIP archive
			archive.SaveAs("archive.zip")
		End Using
	End Sub
End Class

Imports IronZip
Imports System.IO

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		' Create a new ZIP file
		Using archive = New ZipArchive()
			' Add a file to the archive
			archive.AddArchiveEntry("example.txt", File.ReadAllBytes("path/to/example.txt"))

			' Save the ZIP archive
			archive.SaveAs("archive.zip")
		End Using
	End Sub
End Class

Unarchive an Archive to Folder

Extract the content from the ZIP file using the ExtractArchiveToDirectory method. Specify the path of the target ZIP file and the extraction directory.

using IronZip;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // path to the ZIP file and extraction directory
        string zipPath = "archive.zip";
        string extractPath = "extracted/";

        // Extract all files in the ZIP archive to the specified directory
        using (var archive = new ZipArchive(zipPath))
        {
            archive.ExtractArchiveToDirectory(extractPath);
        }
    }
}

using IronZip;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // path to the ZIP file and extraction directory
        string zipPath = "archive.zip";
        string extractPath = "extracted/";

        // Extract all files in the ZIP archive to the specified directory
        using (var archive = new ZipArchive(zipPath))
        {
            archive.ExtractArchiveToDirectory(extractPath);
        }
    }
}

Imports IronZip

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		' path to the ZIP file and extraction directory
		Dim zipPath As String = "archive.zip"
		Dim extractPath As String = "extracted/"

		' Extract all files in the ZIP archive to the specified directory
		Using archive = New ZipArchive(zipPath)
			archive.ExtractArchiveToDirectory(extractPath)
		End Using
	End Sub
End Class

Imports IronZip

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		' path to the ZIP file and extraction directory
		Dim zipPath As String = "archive.zip"
		Dim extractPath As String = "extracted/"

		' Extract all files in the ZIP archive to the specified directory
		Using archive = New ZipArchive(zipPath)
			archive.ExtractArchiveToDirectory(extractPath)
		End Using
	End Sub
End Class

Add Files to An Existing Archive

Passing the ZIP file path to the constructor will open the ZIP file. Utilize the same AddArchiveEntry method to add files to the opened ZIP and export it with the SaveAs method.

using IronZip;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Open an existing ZIP file
        using (var archive = new ZipArchive("archive.zip"))
        {
            // Add more files to the archive
            archive.AddArchiveEntry("anotherfile.txt", File.ReadAllBytes("path/to/anotherfile.txt"));

            // Save updates to the ZIP archive
            archive.SaveAs("archive.zip");
        }
    }
}

using IronZip;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Open an existing ZIP file
        using (var archive = new ZipArchive("archive.zip"))
        {
            // Add more files to the archive
            archive.AddArchiveEntry("anotherfile.txt", File.ReadAllBytes("path/to/anotherfile.txt"));

            // Save updates to the ZIP archive
            archive.SaveAs("archive.zip");
        }
    }
}

Imports IronZip
Imports System.IO

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		' Open an existing ZIP file
		Using archive = New ZipArchive("archive.zip")
			' Add more files to the archive
			archive.AddArchiveEntry("anotherfile.txt", File.ReadAllBytes("path/to/anotherfile.txt"))

			' Save updates to the ZIP archive
			archive.SaveAs("archive.zip")
		End Using
	End Sub
End Class

Imports IronZip
Imports System.IO

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		' Open an existing ZIP file
		Using archive = New ZipArchive("archive.zip")
			' Add more files to the archive
			archive.AddArchiveEntry("anotherfile.txt", File.ReadAllBytes("path/to/anotherfile.txt"))

			' Save updates to the ZIP archive
			archive.SaveAs("archive.zip")
		End Using
	End Sub
End Class

Licensing & Support Available

IronZIP is a paid library; however, free trial licenses are also available here.

For more information about Iron Software, please visit our website: https://ironsoftware.com/ For more support and inquiries, please ask our team.

Support from Iron Software

For general support and technical inquiries, please email us at: support@ironsoftware.com

Curtis Chau

Chat with engineering team now

Technical Writer

Curtis Chau holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Carleton University) and specializes in front-end development with expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, and React. Passionate about crafting intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interfaces, Curtis enjoys working with modern frameworks and creating well-structured, visually appealing manuals.

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