Introduction

In this tutorial, we will learn how to create a zip file and download it in Laravel 10. We will explore the step-by-step process with a live example. Are you ready? Let’s dive in!

Step 1: Set up a Laravel project

First, let’s create a new Laravel project by running the following command in your terminal:

composer create-project laravel/laravel example-app

Step 2: Create a route

Next, let’s create a route in the web.php file located in the routes directory. Open the file and add the following code:

Route::get('/download-zip', [DownloadController::class, 'downloadZip']);

Step 3: Create a controller

Now, let’s create a controller called DownloadController. Run the following command in your terminal:

Open the newly created DownloadController.php file in the app/Http/Controllers directory and add the following code:

use ZipArchive;

class DownloadController extends Controller
{
    public function downloadZip()
    {
        // Create a new zip archive
        $zip = new ZipArchive;
        
        // Path to the directory you want to compress
        $directory = public_path('files');
        
        // Path to the zip file you want to create
        $zipFile = public_path('downloads/files.zip');
        
        // Open the zip file for writing
        if ($zip->open($zipFile, ZipArchive::CREATE) === TRUE) {
            
            // Add all files from the directory to the zip file
            $files = File::allFiles($directory);
            
            foreach ($files as $file) {
                $zip->addFile($file->getPathname(), $file->getBasename());
            }
            
            // Close the zip file
            $zip->close();
        }
        
        // Download the zip file
        return response()->download($zipFile);
    }
}

Step 4: Create a view

php artisan make:view download

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Download Zip File</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Download Zip File</h1>
    
    <a href="{{ url('/download-zip') }}">Click here to download the zip file</a>
</body>
</html>

Step 5: Update the route

Route::get('/download', function () {
    return view('download');
});

Output:-