> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://quantumphp.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://quantumphp.gitbook.io/docs/packages/archive/adapters.md).

# Adapters

Quantum ships with two archive adapters.

They share the same top-level methods, but they are not identical in edge cases.

## PHAR adapter

Use `phar` when you want a PHAR archive.

```php
use Quantum\Archive\Factories\ArchiveFactory;

$archive = ArchiveFactory::get(); // phar by default
$archive->setName(storage_dir() . '/builds/app.phar');
```

### What it does well

* create archives by adding files, strings, and empty directories
* extract all files or a selected file list
* delete individual files or multiple files
* remove the whole archive through the adapter-specific `removeArchive()` method

### PHAR-specific notes

* `extractTo($path, $files)` forwards the optional `$files` argument, so partial extraction is supported
* `removeArchive()` exists only on the PHAR adapter; call it through `$archive->getAdapter()` when you need it
* add and delete operations usually return `false` on adapter-level failures instead of throwing

## ZIP adapter

Use `zip` when you want a ZIP archive.

```php
use Quantum\Archive\Enums\ArchiveType;
use Quantum\Archive\Factories\ArchiveFactory;

$archive = ArchiveFactory::get(ArchiveType::ZIP);
$archive->setName(storage_dir() . '/exports/reports.zip');
```

### What it does well

* create or reopen a ZIP archive at the configured path
* add files, strings, and directories
* delete entries and recount the archive after writes

### ZIP-specific notes

* `extractTo($path, $files)` ignores the second argument and always asks `ZipArchive` to extract the full archive
* after add or delete operations, the adapter reopens the archive handle before later reads so `count()` and `offsetExists()` see fresh state
* directory existence checks treat names without a dot as directory entries and normalize them with a trailing slash

## Choosing between them

Pick the adapter based on output format first.

Then account for the behavior differences:

* need partial extraction: use `phar`
* need adapter-level archive removal: use `phar`
* need ZIP output for interoperability: use `zip`


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