application/*
application/zip
File extensions: .zip
The universal compressed archive format.
What is application/zip?
application/zip is the media type for ZIP-compressed archives — the most widely supported archive format on any operating system. It bundles multiple files and directories with optional compression per entry.
Typical usage
Bulk downloads, mail attachments, plugin/theme distributions, backup exports. Modern formats like DOCX, XLSX, EPUB, and JAR are ZIP under the hood.
Common gotchas
Files ending in .docx / .xlsx / .apk are ZIPs internally. Serving them as application/zip triggers a raw download instead of the correct app handler — always send the format-specific MIME type.
HTTP header example
Response header
Content-Type: application/zip; charset=utf-8Reference
PKWARE APPNOTE