ZIP Download Configuration

Learn how to configure ZIP file generation, customize download options, and optimize the customer download experience.

What is ZIP Download?

When a product is mapped to multiple files, Alva Digital Downloads automatically creates a ZIP archive containing all files. Customers download one ZIP file instead of individual files.

Benefits of ZIP Downloads

For Customers:

✅ One-click download (not 10+ separate downloads)
✅ All files guaranteed in one package
✅ Faster overall download
✅ Organized file structure

For You:

✅ Professional delivery
✅ Reduced server requests
✅ Better tracking
✅ Consistent customer experience

ZIP vs. Individual Files

When to Use ZIP (Default)

Best for:

Products with 2+ files
File bundles and packs
Course materials
Template collections
Any multi-file product

Example:

Product: Social Media Bundle
Files: 10 templates + fonts + instructions
→ Customer downloads: social-media-bundle.zip

When to Use Individual Files

Best for:

Single file products
Customers need selective downloads
Very large files (easier to resume individual downloads)

Example:

Product: eBook + Audio Version
Files: ebook.pdf, audiobook.mp3
→ Customer downloads: Each file separately

Configuring Download Type

Setting Download Type Per Product

Navigate to Products → Select product
Find Download Type dropdown
Choose:
- ZIP (bundle all files)
- Individual Files (separate downloads)

Click Save

Global Default Setting

Set default for new product mappings:

Go to Settings → Download Settings
Set Default Download Type
- ZIP (recommended)
- Individual Files
Save

Note: Changing default only affects new mappings, not existing products.

ZIP File Naming

Default ZIP Name

By default, ZIP file is named based on product title:

Product: "Marketing Templates Bundle"
ZIP name: marketing-templates-bundle.zip

Rules:

Lowercase
Spaces replaced with hyphens
Special characters removed
.zip extension added

Custom ZIP Title

Override default with custom name:

Open product mapping
Find ZIP Title field
Enter custom name (without .zip extension)
Save

Good ZIP Titles:

✅ marketing-bundle-v2
✅ lightroom-presets-vintage
✅ video-course-module-1
✅ business-templates-2024

Bad ZIP Titles:

❌ download
❌ files
❌ untitled
❌ Product 123

ZIP Generation Process

When is ZIP Created?

ZIP files are generated:

First Purchase: When first customer buys product
File Changes: When mapped files are updated
Manual Regeneration: When you trigger regeneration
Version Updates: When you update product mapping

ZIP Generation Time

Generation speed depends on:

Total File Size	File Count	Approx. Time
Under 100 MB	1-20 files	5-15 seconds
100-500 MB	20-50 files	15-60 seconds
500 MB - 2 GB	50-100 files	1-5 minutes
Over 2 GB	100+ files	5-15 minutes

Note: First generation takes longer. Subsequent downloads use cached ZIP.

ZIP Caching

What is ZIP Caching?

Once generated, ZIP files are stored (cached) for reuse:

First customer: ZIP generated (30 seconds)
Second customer: ZIP served from cache (instant)
Third customer: ZIP served from cache (instant)

Cache Invalidation

ZIP cache is cleared and regenerated when:

✅ Files in product mapping change
✅ Files in mapped pack are updated
✅ You manually trigger regeneration
✅ ZIP Title is changed

Manual ZIP Regeneration

Force ZIP regeneration:

Open product mapping
Click Regenerate ZIP button

Confirmation prompt appears
Click Regenerate
New ZIP generated, old cache deleted

When to use:

Updated files but ZIP hasn’t regenerated automatically
Testing new file combinations
Troubleshooting download issues

ZIP Compression

Compression Level

ZIP compression reduces file size:

Compression Levels:

No Compression: Fastest generation, largest ZIP
Standard Compression (default): Balanced
Maximum Compression: Slowest generation, smallest ZIP

Compression by File Type

Some files compress better than others:

File Type	Typical Compression
Text (TXT, HTML)	70-90% reduction
Documents (PDF, DOCX)	10-30% reduction
Images (JPG, PNG)	0-10% reduction
Videos (MP4, MOV)	0-5% reduction
Already compressed (ZIP, RAR)	0% reduction

Example:

Original Files: 500 MB
ZIP (Standard): 450 MB (10% reduction)

Mixed content typically: 10-20% compression

ZIP File Structure

File Organization in ZIP

Files in ZIP maintain their organization:

Flat Structure (default):

social-media-bundle.zip
├── template-1.psd
├── template-2.psd
├── template-3.psd
├── fonts.zip
└── instructions.pdf

Folder Structure (if using folders in pack):

course-module-1.zip
├── videos/
│   ├── lesson-1.mp4
│   ├── lesson-2.mp4
│   └── lesson-3.mp4
├── workbooks/
│   └── module-1-workbook.pdf
└── README.txt

Creating Folders in ZIP

To create folder structure:

Create pack with organized files
Use file naming with prefixes:
- videos-lesson-1.mp4
- videos-lesson-2.mp4
- workbooks-module-1.pdf

Upload pre-organized ZIP as one of the files

ZIP Size Limits

Maximum ZIP Size

Recommended limits:

Ideal: Under 500 MB
Good: 500 MB - 2 GB
Acceptable: 2 GB - 5 GB
Problematic: Over 5 GB

Why Limit ZIP Size?

Large ZIPs can cause:

⚠️ Generation timeouts
⚠️ Download failures on slow connections
⚠️ Customer frustration
⚠️ Server resource issues

Solutions for Large Products:

Split into multiple products
- Module 1, Module 2, etc.
Use external hosting for very large files
Compress videos/images before upload
Offer streaming for video content

Download Type Conversion

Switching Between ZIP and Individual

Change download type anytime:

ZIP → Individual Files:

Edit product mapping
Change Download Type to “Individual Files”
Save
Existing customer links update automatically

Individual Files → ZIP:

Edit product mapping
Change Download Type to “ZIP”
Enter ZIP Title
Save
ZIP generates automatically

Impact on customers:

Existing download links remain valid
New downloads use new format
No action needed from customers

ZIP Versioning

Automatic Versioning

Each time ZIP is regenerated, version increments:

Version 1: social-media-bundle-v1.zip (Jan 1)
Version 2: social-media-bundle-v2.zip (Jan 15 - files updated)
Version 3: social-media-bundle-v3.zip (Feb 1 - files updated)

Version History

View past ZIP versions:

Open product mapping
Click Version History (if available)
See all past versions:
- Version number
- Generated date
- File count
- ZIP size
- Download count

Which Version Do Customers Get?

New orders: Always get latest version
Existing orders: Get version from time of purchase (unless link expired and regenerated)

ZIP Performance Optimization

Best Practices for Fast Generation

Optimize File Sizes
- Compress images before upload
- Use efficient video codecs
- Remove unnecessary data
Reasonable File Counts
- Under 100 files per ZIP (ideal)
- Break into multiple packs if needed
Avoid Nested ZIPs
- Don’t ZIP files that are already ZIPs
- Unzip and include contents instead
Use Appropriate Compression
- Standard compression for most cases
- No compression for already-compressed files

ZIP Download Settings (Global)

Configure ZIP Behavior

Access global ZIP settings:

Go to Settings → ZIP Configuration

Available Settings:

Default Compression Level

None / Standard / Maximum
Default: Standard

ZIP Generation Priority

Background / Immediate
Default: Background (doesn’t block other operations)

Cache Duration

How long to keep generated ZIPs
Default: Until files change

Cleanup Old Versions

Automatically delete old ZIP versions
Keep last X versions
Default: Keep last 3 versions

Max ZIP Size Warning

Alert when ZIP exceeds threshold
Default: 2 GB

Testing ZIP Downloads

How to Test

Generate Test Order
- Create order with product
- Mark as paid
- Check download link
Download ZIP
- Click download link as customer would
- Save ZIP file
Extract and Verify
- Extract ZIP on your computer
- Check all files present
- Verify files open correctly
- Check file names and organization
Test on Multiple Platforms
- Windows extraction
- Mac extraction
- Mobile extraction (if applicable)

Common ZIP Issues

ZIP Won’t Extract

Causes:

Corrupted download
Unsupported ZIP format
File too large for extraction tool

Solutions:

Re-download ZIP
Try different extraction software (7-Zip, WinRAR, built-in tools)
Check ZIP size isn’t too large

Missing Files in ZIP

Causes:

Files deleted after ZIP generated
Cache not invalidated

Solutions:

Check source files exist
Regenerate ZIP manually
Verify product mapping

ZIP Download Timeout

Causes:

ZIP too large
Slow connection
Server timeout

Solutions:

Reduce ZIP size
Split into smaller products
Increase server timeout limits

ZIP Download Analytics

Tracking ZIP Performance

Monitor ZIP generation and downloads:

Metrics Available:

ZIP generation time (average)
ZIP download count
Failed generations
Cache hit rate
ZIP size trends

Access from:

Dashboard → ZIP Analytics section
Or Settings → ZIP Reports

Advanced ZIP Configuration

Custom ZIP Generation Scripts

For advanced users, customize ZIP generation:

// Example: Custom file ordering in ZIP
{
  "zipConfig": {
    "fileOrder": [
      "README.txt",
      "*.pdf",
      "*.mp4",
      "*"
    ],
    "compression": "standard",
    "includeManifest": true
  }
}

See: Advanced Features for more details

ZIP Download Best Practices

1. Meaningful ZIP Names

Customers see ZIP filename:

Use product name or clear identifier
Include version if applicable
Avoid generic names

2. Optimal ZIP Size

Keep ZIPs under 500 MB when possible:

Faster generation
Fewer download issues
Better customer experience

3. Include Instructions

Add README or instructions file:

First file in ZIP
Explains contents
Guides customer

4. Test Before Launch

Always test ZIP downloads:

Generate test order
Download and extract
Verify all files work

5. Monitor Performance

Check ZIP metrics regularly:

Generation time trends
Download success rate
Customer feedback

Next Steps

Updating Product Mappings - Manage mapping changes
Download Management - Configure download security
ZIP Generation Methods - Advanced ZIP features