How to download a zip file in Java

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• 1- Download a Zip file
• Summary
• Next Steps

Introduction

In our previous article, we showed how to download a file of any type from a servlet.

Now for zip files, things are a bit different, in this tutorial, we specifically show how to write a zip file to an HTTP response and download it to the browser.

1- Download a Zip file

In order to download a zip file in Java, we need to firstly set the content type of the HTTP response as “application/zip” and then write the zip file to the ServletOutputStream.

The following piece of code can be used whenever we need to download a zip file in Java:

byte[] zip = // your zip file is defined here
 
response.setContentType("application/zip");
response.setHeader("Content-Disposition", "attachment; filename=output.zip");
 
ServletOutputStream sos = response.getOutputStream();
sos.write(zip);
sos.flush();

Summary

Now for zip files, things are a bit different, in this tutorial, we specifically show how to write a zip file to an HTTP response and download it to the browser.

Next Steps

If you're interested in learning more about the basics of Java, coding, and software development, check out our Coding Essentials Guidebook for Developers, where we cover the essential languages, concepts, and tools that you'll need to become a professional developer.

Thanks and happy coding! We hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to jacob@initialcommit.io.