Create a ZIP from remote URLs

Fetch multiple browser-readable URLs, preserve useful filenames, and download one ZIP with JavaScript.

Use this workflow when your application already has a list of remote file URLs and the archive fits comfortably in the browser tab.

Before you start

Install Core and make sure each source allows the browser to fetch it:

npm install @eazip/core

Create and download the ZIP

import { createZip } from '@eazip/core';

const files = [
  'https://cdn.example.com/invoice-1001.pdf',
  {
    url: 'https://cdn.example.com/invoice-1002.pdf',
    filename: 'invoices/2026/invoice-1002.pdf',
  },
];

const result = await createZip({
  files,
  zipName: 'invoices.zip',
});

result.download();

URL strings infer their name from the URL path. Use { url, filename } when you need a specific filename or folder inside the archive.

Make the URLs browser-readable

Local jobs fetch from the visitor's browser without cookies. The source must allow the application's origin through CORS, for example:

Access-Control-Allow-Origin: https://app.example.com

For private files, have your backend return short-lived signed URLs. Never send bucket credentials or a general-purpose bearer token to frontend code.

Scope custom authorization

If you pass a custom fetch, add credentials only for a trusted, exact source origin. A mixed URL list must not receive the same authorization blindly.

Keep usable files when one URL fails

The default behavior returns a partial ZIP rather than discarding successful files:

const result = await createZip({
  files: urls,
  zipName: 'export.zip',
});

if (result.status === 'partial') {
  console.warn(`${result.skippedCount} files were skipped`);
}

result.downloadAll();

Set failOnUrlError: true only when every source is required. Use startZip() instead of createZip() when you need custom progress or cancellation.

Move the job beyond the browser

Switch to Cloud when CORS, memory, URL count, or tab lifetime becomes a constraint:

const result = await createZip({
  strategy: 'cloud',
  publicKey: 'pk_ez_...',
  files: urls,
  zipName: 'invoices.zip',
});

result.downloadAll();

Cloud URLs must be allowed by the Public App and reachable from Eazip's servers. Continue with When to use Eazip Cloud or Create multi-GB ZIP archives with JavaScript.