Create Password-Protected ZIP-Archives via Free Python Library

Getting Started with Pyminizip

The recommend way to install Pyminizip is using pypi.org. Please use the following command for a smooth installation.

 $ pip install pyminizip

git clone https://github.com/smihica/pyminizip.git 

Password-Protected ZIP Creation via Python

The open source Pyminizip library makes it easy for software developers to create and manage password-protected ZIP files inside their own python applications. While Python’s standard library offers some compression tools but password protection is missing in the zipfile module. Pyminizip fills this gap by allowing users to encrypt their files using the AES encryption standard. The following example shows how software developers can create password protected ZIP files and set level of compression level inside Python applications.

import pyminizip

# Define file paths and password
input_file = "sample.txt"  # file to zip
output_file = "sample.zip"  # output zip file name
password = "securepassword"
compression_level = 5  # range 1-9, where 1 is fastest and 9 is maximum compression

# Create password-protected zip file
pyminizip.compress(input_file, None, output_file, password, compression_level)
print(f"{output_file} created with password protection.")

Compress Directory via Python API

Beyond compressing single files, the Pyminizip library allows compressing entire directories with just a couple of lines of Python code. This feature is handy when multiple files need to be packaged together, especially for backup or distribution purposes. The library will include all files and folders in the specified directory, allowing for password protection on the whole archive. Here is a very useful example for compressing a directory inside Python applications.

import pyminizip
import os

def compress_directory(directory_path, output_file, password, compression_level):
    for root, _, files in os.walk(directory_path):
        for file in files:
            file_path = os.path.join(root, file)
            arcname = os.path.relpath(file_path, directory_path)
            pyminizip.compress(file_path, arcname, output_file, password, compression_level)

# Usage
directory_path = "my_folder"
output_file = "my_folder.zip"
password = "mypassword"
compression_level = 5
compress_directory(directory_path, output_file, password, compression_level)
print(f"Directory '{directory_path}' compressed into '{output_file}' with password protection.")

Control Compression Level via Python API

The open source Pyminizip Python library provides control over the compression level, allowing users to balance between compression speeds and file size. A lower level results in faster compression with larger output sizes and on the other side a higher level provides better compression at the cost of speed. This flexibility makes Pyminizip adaptable for various use cases, from quick archiving to efficient file storage. Here is an example that demonstrates how to test different compression levels inside Python applications.

import pyminizip

input_file = "example.txt"
password = "test123"

for level in range(1, 10):
    output_file = f"example_level_{level}.zip"
    pyminizip.compress(input_file, None, output_file, password, level)
    print(f"Created {output_file} with compression level {level}")

Integration with Python Applications

Given its simplicity and ease of use, Pyminizip library can be readily integrated into Python applications requiring file compression. It works particularly well with backup utilities, secure file distribution systems, and archival applications that need password protection.