# unarc-cli
[](https://crates.io/crates/unarc-cli)
[](https://github.com/mkrueger/unarc-rs)
A command-line tool for listing and extracting files from various archive formats, with a focus on legacy/retro formats from the BBS era.
No other command line clients required. Everything in an all in one package. List/Extract/Retrieve lost passwords - everything possible with unarc.
## Installation
```bash
cargo install unarc-cli
```
Or build from source:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/mkrueger/unarc-rs
cd unarc-rs
cargo build --release -p unarc-cli
```
The binary will be available at `target/release/unarc`.
## Usage
### List Archive Contents
```bash
unarc list archive.arj
unarc l archive.zip # short alias
```
Example output:
```
Archive: test.arj (ARJ)
Name Compressed Original Ratio Method Encryption
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
readme.txt 1234 5678 21.7% Method 4
secret.doc 890 2345 37.9% Method 1 ARJ Garble
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 file(s), 1 encrypted 2124 8023 26.5%
```
### Extract Files
```bash
unarc extract archive.arj # Extract to current directory
unarc x archive.zip -o ./output # Extract to specific directory
unarc extract -f archive.rar # Overwrite existing files
unarc extract -p secret encrypted.arj # Decrypt with password
# Multi-volume archives (auto-detects all volumes)
unarc extract archive.zip.001 -o ./output # Split ZIP (.001, .002, ...)
unarc extract archive.7z.001 -o ./output # Split 7z (.7z.001, .7z.002, ...)
unarc extract archive.z01 -o ./output # WinZip style (.z01, .z02, .zip)
```
### Show Supported Formats
```bash
unarc formats
```
### Try Passwords (Password Cracking)
Test passwords from a file, directory, or stdin against an encrypted archive:
```bash
# Try passwords from a file
unarc try-passwords archive.arj -f passwords.txt
# Try passwords from all .txt files in a directory (recursive)
unarc tp encrypted.7z -d ~/wordlists/
# Try passwords from stdin (pipe from another tool)
# Select a specific small file for faster testing
unarc tp large_archive.rar -f passwords.txt -e "small_file.txt"
```
## Command Reference
### `unarc list` (alias: `l`)
List contents of an archive.
```
Usage: unarc list <ARCHIVE>
Arguments:
<ARCHIVE> Archive file to list
```
### `unarc extract` (alias: `x`)
Extract files from an archive.
```
Usage: unarc extract [OPTIONS] <ARCHIVE>
Arguments:
<ARCHIVE> Archive file to extract
Options:
-o, --output <OUTPUT> Output directory [default: .]
-f, --force Overwrite existing files
-p, --password <PASSWORD> Password for encrypted archives
-h, --help Print help
```
### `unarc formats`
Show all supported archive formats with their extensions and magic bytes.
### `unarc try-passwords` (alias: `tp`)
Test passwords against an encrypted archive using parallel processing.
```
Usage: unarc try-passwords [OPTIONS] <ARCHIVE>
Arguments:
<ARCHIVE> Archive file to test
Options:
-f, --password-file <PASSWORD_FILE> File containing passwords (one per line)
-d, --password-dir <PASSWORD_DIR> Directory with password files (*.txt, recursive)
--stdin Read passwords from stdin
-v, --verbose-interval <N> Show progress every N passwords [default: 1000]
-e, --entry <ENTRY> Specific entry to test against (for faster testing)
-h, --help Print help
```
**Features:**
- **Parallel processing** using all CPU cores (via rayon)
- **Multiple input sources**: single file, directory of wordlists, or stdin
- **Entry selection**: Use `-e` to pick a small file for faster password testing
- **Progress reporting**: See passwords/sec and current progress
- **Smart verification**: Uses CRC32 + size validation to avoid false positives
**Supported formats for password testing:** ARC, ARJ, ACE, ZIP, RAR, 7z
**Performance** varies by format due to encryption complexity:
- ARC: ~3.5 million passwords/sec (simple XOR)
- ARJ: ~2,000 passwords/sec (Garble)
- ZIP: ~50,000 passwords/sec (ZipCrypto)
- 7z: ~16 passwords/sec (AES-256, by design slow)
## Supported Formats
| **7z** | `.7z`, `.7z.001` | AES-256 | ✓ |
| **ZIP** | `.zip`, `.zip.001`, `.z01` | ZipCrypto, AES | ✓ |
| **RAR** | `.rar` | AES | - |
| **LHA/LZH** | `.lha`, `.lzh` | - | - |
| **TAR** | `.tar` | - | - |
| **ACE** | `.ace` | Blowfish | - |
| **ARJ** | `.arj` | Garble, GOST40 | - |
| **ARC/PAK** | `.arc`, `.pak` | - | - |
| **ZOO** | `.zoo` | - | - |
| **HA** | `.ha` | - | - |
| **UC2** | `.uc2` | - | - |
| **SQ** | `.sq`, `.qqq` | - | - |
| **SQZ** | `.sqz` | - | - |
| **HYP** | `.hyp` | - | - |
| **Z** | `.Z` | - | - |
| **GZ** | `.gz` | - | - |
| **BZ2** | `.bz2` | - | - |
| **Pack-Ice** | `.pi9` | - | - |
| **TGZ** | `.tgz`, `.tar.gz` | - | - |
| **TBZ** | `.tbz`, `.tar.bz2` | - | - |
| **TAR.Z** | `.tar.Z` | - | - |
## Examples
Extract an encrypted ARJ archive:
```bash
unarc extract -p mypassword encrypted.arj -o ./extracted/
```
List a 7z archive:
```bash
unarc list backup.7z
```
Extract all files from a ZOO archive, overwriting existing:
```bash
unarc x -f old_archive.zoo
```
Crack a password-protected archive:
```bash
# First, see which encrypted files are available
unarc tp archive.arj --stdin -e "?" # Shows list of encrypted entries
# Error: Entry '?' not found. Encrypted entries:
# - LICENSE (11357 bytes)
# - bigfile.dat (50000000 bytes)
# Pick the smallest file for faster testing
unarc tp archive.arj -f rockyou.txt -e "LICENSE"
```
## Related
- [unarc-rs](https://crates.io/crates/unarc-rs) - The library this CLI is built on
## License
MIT OR Apache-2.0