---
title: Decompressing and extracting an archived directory
framework: accelerate
role: article
role_heading: Article
path: accelerate/decompressing-and-extracting-an-archived-directory
---

# Decompressing and extracting an archived directory

Recreate an entire file system directory from an archive file.

## Overview

Overview In this article, you’ll learn how to use AppleArchive to decompress and extract a previously compressed file system directory. The code below decompresses the file generated using the steps explained in Compressing file system directories and writes the files to a directory named dest. Create the file stream to read the source archive The ArchiveByteStream class provides static factory methods that create streams for different functions. In this case, use fileStream(path:mode:options:permissions:) to create a byte stream that reads the source file: let archiveFilePath = FilePath(NSTemporaryDirectory() + "directory.aar")

guard let readFileStream = ArchiveByteStream.fileStream(         path: archiveFilePath,         mode: .readOnly,         options: [ ],         permissions: FilePermissions(rawValue: 0o644)) else {     return } defer {     try? readFileStream.close() } Create the decompression stream Create the decompression stream. Specify the file-reading stream as the input stream that provides the compressed data: guard let decompressStream = ArchiveByteStream.decompressionStream(readingFrom: readFileStream) else {     return } defer {     try? decompressStream.close() } Create the decoding stream Create a decoding stream that provides archive elements from the raw, decompressed data: guard let decodeStream = ArchiveStream.decodeStream(readingFrom: decompressStream) else {     print("unable to create decode stream")     return } defer {     try? decodeStream.close() } Specify the destination Specify a destination path for the decompressed directory contents. The following code checks that the destination directory exists and creates the destination if neccessary: let decompressPath = NSTemporaryDirectory() + "dest/"

if !FileManager.default.fileExists(atPath: decompressPath) {     do {         try FileManager.default.createDirectory(atPath: decompressPath,                                                 withIntermediateDirectories: false)     } catch {         fatalError("Unable to create destination directory.")     } }

let decompressDestination = FilePath(decompressPath) Create the extract stream Create an extract stream that receives archive elements, and extracts to the specified directory: guard let extractStream = ArchiveStream.extractStream(extractingTo: decompressDestination,                                                       flags: [ .ignoreOperationNotPermitted ]) else {     return } defer {     try? extractStream.close() } Decompress and extract the archived directory Finally, call process(readingFrom:writingTo:) to write the output of the decode stream to the extract stream. In turn, the extract stream extracts each archive element to the decompression destination: do {     _ = try ArchiveStream.process(readingFrom: decodeStream,                                   writingTo: extractStream) } catch {     print("process failed") } On return, the operation recreates the contents of the directory previously archived in directory.aar in NSTemporaryDirectory() + “dest/”.

## See Also

### Directories, Files, and Data Archives

- [Compressing single files](accelerate/compressing-single-files.md)
- [Decompressing single files](accelerate/decompressing-single-files.md)
- [Compressing file system directories](accelerate/compressing-file-system-directories.md)
- [Compressing and saving a string to the file system](accelerate/compressing-and-saving-a-string-to-the-file-system.md)
- [Decompressing and parsing an archived string](accelerate/decompressing-and-parsing-an-archived-string.md)