When working with ZIP archives in Linux, you might encounter situations where you need to store a file under a different name than its original filename. The standard zip command doesn't provide an obvious way to do this without first renaming the file on disk.

The most effective method is to use stdin redirection with the - (hyphen) filename convention:

cat file.txt | zip -mqj archive.zip - -T file2.txt

Here's what each part does:

• cat file.txt - Reads the original file
• | - Pipes the output to the next command
• zip -mqj archive.zip - - Creates a ZIP archive with stdin input
• -T file2.txt - Specifies the target filename in the archive

If you prefer not to use pipes, you can create a temporary symbolic link:

ln -s file.txt file2.txt
zip -mqj archive.zip file2.txt
rm file2.txt

For multiple files with different target names, you can combine techniques:

cat file1.txt | zip -mqj archive.zip - -T doc1.txt
cat file2.txt | zip -mqj archive.zip - -T doc2.txt

To verify the contents were stored correctly:

unzip -l archive.zip

This should show your files with their new names in the archive.

• The -T option must come after the - (stdin) specification
• This method works with both the zip and unzip utilities
• For large files, the stdin method is more efficient than creating temporary files

When working with ZIP archives in Linux, a common requirement is to store a file under a different name than its original filename. The standard zip command doesn't provide a direct flag for this operation, which often leads to workarounds like temporary file renaming.


Here are three reliable methods to achieve filename mapping during zipping:

Method 1: Using stdin redirection
cat file.txt | zip -mqj archive.zip -file2.txt

Explanation: The hyphen (-) indicates stdin input, while the filename after it specifies the stored name.
Method 2: Symbolic link approach
ln -s file.txt file2.txt
zip -mqj archive.zip file2.txt
rm file2.txt

Method 3: Advanced with pipe and printf
printf '@ -\n@=file2.txt\n' | zip -mqj archive.zip -file.txt

For production scripts, Method 1 is generally most reliable. Here's an enhanced version with error handling:
if ! cat file.txt | zip -mqj archive.zip -file2.txt; then
    echo "Error: Failed to create archive" >&2
    exit 1
fi

For complex scenarios, consider these alternatives:
# Using 7z (if installed)
7z a -tzip -siarchive_file2.txt archive.7z < file.txt

# Using Python
python3 -c "import zipfile; z=zipfile.ZipFile('archive.zip','w'); z.writestr('file2.txt',open('file.txt','rb').read())"