up vote 2 down vote favorite
share [g+] share [fb]

How can I compress two folders into archive file (zip, gzip or something like that) with a password on the files?

For example I have folder structure:

  • rootDir
    • dir1
    • dir2
    • dir3
    • dir4

I need bash command to add dir2 and dir4 to same archive file compressed with a password on it.

link|improve this question
feedback

migrated from stackoverflow.com Sep 10 '09 at 17:55

This question came from our site for professional and enthusiast programmers.

3 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted 
zip -er filename.zip dir2 dir4

The zip command is widely available; if not on your system, look for a zip package or similar.

The -e flag specifies encryption is to be used on the zipfile; you'll be prompted for a password.

The -r flag specifies recursion; all the files in dir2 and dir4 will be included.

The resulting zipped, encrypted file containing dir2 and dir4 will be placed at filename.zip.

link|improve this answer
This is good, how do I do it for all folders , files and subfolders (recursive) ? And another question, how do I provide password without prompt ? – Perica Zivkovic Sep 10 '09 at 18:01
1  
so the answer I was looking for is: zip -rP "password" filename.zip dir2 dir4 – Perica Zivkovic Sep 10 '09 at 18:42
1  
Note however, that zip's built-in encryption is fairly insecure: math.ucr.edu/~mike/zipattacks.pdf . If you want more than protection from casual peeping, use a real encryption software (such as GnuPG or TrueCrypt). – sleske Jan 4 '10 at 11:25
feedback
up vote 1 down vote

zip -er archive.zip dir2 dir4

link|improve this answer
feedback
up vote 0 down vote

Compress with your favorite unix command (mine is 'tar cfj' for a BZip2 tarball).
Then encrypt with bcrypt.

Bcrypt is a cross platform file encryption utility.

But, they say bcrypt is no longer safe (! ;-)),
Well, change to TrueCrypt (it too is cross platform -- easycrypt).

Tip: Encryption after compression makes life much more interesting.

link|improve this answer
feedback

Your Answer

 
or
required, but never shown
discard

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.