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1.4.0 LTS Documentation

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Mealman1551 edited this page Oct 19, 2025 · 1 revision

ADC Archiver 1.4.0 (LTS) Documentation

Overview

ADC Archiver 1.4.0, codenamed "Grand Canyon", represents a major Long-Term Support (LTS) release of the ADC (Archived Data Codec) project. This version is designed to be stable, secure, and production-ready. It includes robust encryption, efficient compression, and a modernized interface flow while maintaining full backward compatibility with earlier ADC formats.

Version 1.4.0 is based on the Aurora 2025.09.1 codebase and marks the transition of ADC into a mature, professional-grade archiving solution. It is intended for long-term deployment and will receive updates and security patches until October 18, 2029.

Metadata

Property Value
Version 1.4.0 (LTS)
Codename Grand Canyon
Release Type Long Term Support
EOL (End of Life) 18 October 2029
Language Python 3.12.x
License GNU General Public License v3.0
GitHub https://github.com/Mealman1551/ADC
Webpage 1 https://mealman1551.github.io/adc.html
Webpage 2 https://mealman1551.github.io/ADC.html

Key Features

1. Compression System

  • Uses Zlib for efficient lossless compression.
  • Supports multiple file compression in one archive.
  • Optionally allows ZIP format creation using the built-in zipfile module.

2. Encryption and Security

  • Implements AES-128 encryption using Fernet from the cryptography package.
  • Uses PBKDF2-HMAC (SHA-256) key derivation for password protection.
  • Generates a unique 16-byte salt per archive for strong cryptographic separation.
  • Secure archives have a custom header ADCARCH\x00 followed by the salt.

3. File Management

  • Full support for file archiving.
  • Cross-platform GUI file selectors powered by Tkinter.
  • Interactive progress bars using the progress.bar module.

4. Command-Line Support

ADC 1.4.0 supports both interactive mode and CLI mode for automation and scripting.

CLI Commands:

adc c <files...> <output.adc>

Create an archive from specified files.

adc e <archive.adc> [output_folder]

Extract an archive to the target directory.

Technical Details

File Structure (ADC Format)

Each .adc archive is composed of the following binary structure:

Section Description
Header ADCARCH\x00 (if encrypted) or absent for plain archives
Salt (16 bytes) Random salt for PBKDF2 if encrypted
File Count Derived dynamically during read
Per File Block Filename length, filename, compressed data length, compressed/encrypted bytes

Encryption Scheme

PBKDF2HMAC(
    algorithm=hashes.SHA256,
    length=32,
    salt=salt,
    iterations=390000,
)

The derived key is then encoded via base64.urlsafe_b64encode() and used by Fernet.

Dependencies

All dependencies are included in the requirements.txt for 1.4.0:

progress
colorama
cryptography

Required Python Version

Python 3.12.x

GUI Flow

  • File selection: Uses tkinter.filedialog.askopenfilenames()
  • Archive output path: Uses tkinter.filedialog.asksaveasfilename()
  • Ensures all dialogs are topmost for user convenience.

Platform Support

Platform Status
Linux ✅ Fully Supported
Windows 8 / 8.1/ 10 / 11 ✅ Fully Supported
Unix ⚠️ Partial Supported
macOS 🚫 Not Supported

Usage Example

Create an Encrypted Archive (Interactive Mode)

adc
Welcome to the ADC Archiver! Enter command ('c' to create, 'e' to extract, 'i' for info, 'q' to quit): c

Select files to archive → Choose format (ADC or ZIP) → Optionally enter a password → Archive is created.

Extract an Archive

adc e my_archive.adc ./output/

If encrypted, the tool will prompt for the password.

System Output

  • Displays dynamic progress bars for compression and extraction.
  • Detects system information automatically:
    • Hostname (socket.gethostname())
    • Username (getpass.getuser())
    • Platform (os.sys.platform)

Licensing

ADC Archiver 1.4.0 is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0. You are free to redistribute or modify it under the same license terms.

Disclaimer: This software is provided without any warranty. Mealman1551 is not liable for any damage caused by the use of this program.

Credits

  • Author: Mealman1551
  • Maintainer: Mealman1551
  • Based Of: Aurora 2025.09.1
  • Release Codename: Grand Canyon

Changelog Summary

  • Added ZIP archive creation and extraction support.
  • Integrated password-based AES encryption (Fernet).
  • Updated progress bar and terminal UI.
  • Improved file structure compatibility and GUI dialogs.
  • Introduced LTS lifecycle with extended maintenance (2025–2029).

Release Philosophy

ADC 1.4.0 is a culmination of iterative refinement since version 1.0.0. It focuses on:

  • Reliability: Rock-solid compression and encryption.
  • Security: Modern cryptography.
  • Longevity: Guaranteed long-term support.

With great power comes great responsibility.

© 2025 Mealman1551

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