zarr-python
Zarr's package split keeps producing standalone tools: a server, now a lazy indexer.
Comparison · DevOps
ellipsis vs zip
A side-by-side editorial comparison of ellipsis and zip — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r
ellipsis vs zip: at a glance
What is ellipsis?
ellipsis' checks live in rlang now; the package is a compatibility shim.
ellipsis provides check_dots_used(), check_dots_unnamed() and check_dots_empty() for catching arguments silently swallowed by dots. Its functional development finished in 2019 across the 0.2.0 and 0.3.0 releases. The two releases since deal only with rlang and CRAN, and 0.3.3 makes the rlang dependency unconditional.
What is zip?
zip 3.0 added encryption, turning a plumbing package into a complete archive tool.
zip creates and extracts archives from R without depending on external tools. Its 2.x line was incremental — a type column in zip_list(), symlink handling on Unix, hidden shared-library symbols. Version 3.0.0 changed the package's shape by adding password-protected archives and vectorized extraction.
ellipsis vs zip: editorial side-by-side
ellipsis
0.0DEVOPS
ellipsis' checks live in rlang now; the package is a compatibility shim.
◆ Current state
ellipsis provides check_dots_used(), check_dots_unnamed() and check_dots_empty() for catching arguments silently swallowed by dots. Its functional development finished in 2019 across the 0.2.0 and 0.3.0 releases. The two releases since deal only with rlang and CRAN, and 0.3.3 makes the rlang dependency unconditional.
◆ Where it's heading
The package built its full surface quickly, hardened it once by switching the check functions from warnings to errors, then saw the ideas move upstream. These checks are part of rlang's own API now, which leaves ellipsis as a compatibility layer for packages still importing it directly. The 0.3.3 change to depend on rlang unconditionally states that relationship plainly.
◆ Prediction
With the functionality living in rlang, the next release is most likely another CRAN-driven fix; there is no sign of new checks being added here.
zip
2.5DEVOPS
zip 3.0 added encryption, turning a plumbing package into a complete archive tool.
◆ Current state
zip creates and extracts archives from R without depending on external tools. Its 2.x line was incremental — a type column in zip_list(), symlink handling on Unix, hidden shared-library symbols. Version 3.0.0 changed the package's shape by adding password-protected archives and vectorized extraction.
◆ Where it's heading
Development is moving from listing and extracting toward parity with what users expect of a general archive utility: encryption schemes including WinZIP AES-256, an encryption column so an archive can be inspected before extraction, and thread counts that respect the session's Ncpus setting. The 3.0.x releases since are consolidation on that new surface.
◆ Prediction
Expect continued refinement of the encryption and threading paths, with remaining symlink and permission edge cases on Unix the most likely source of the next fixes.
Alternatives to ellipsis and zip
Other DevOps products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either ellipsis or zip.
clock
clock is turning calendar conventions lubridate hard-coded into parameterized types.
httpuv
httpuv ships almost nothing, which is what you want from the web server under Shiny
promises
promises drops R6 for plain environments and wires async work into OpenTelemetry
withr
withr rebuilt defer() on base R's own on.exit(), and got much faster for it
htmltools
htmltools spends three releases walking back its own fill-layout opinions
See all ellipsis alternatives → · See all zip alternatives →
Recent activity from ellipsis and zip
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 8d agozipzip 3.0.2 handles symlinks whose targets extract later
- 1mo agozipzip 3.0.1 renames the progress option and respects Ncpus
- 2mo agozipzip 3.0.0 adds AES-256 password-protected archives ⚡
- 4mo agoellipsisNow depends unconditionally on rlang
- 1y agozipzip 2.3.3 creates symbolic links correctly on Unix
- 1y agozipzip 2.3.2 returns a tibble from zip_list()
- 2y agozipzip 2.3.1 hides shared library symbols to avoid clashes
- 5y agoellipsisLicense changed to MIT; rlang compatibility updated
- 6y agoellipsisR-devel fix and new ?dots_used documentation topic
- 6y agoellipsischeck_dots_* functions gain an action argument
- 7y agoellipsischeck_ functions now throw errors; check_dots_empty() added
- 7y agoellipsischeck_dots_unnamed() added
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ellipsis and zip?
Both compete on the same themes — r — within DevOps. zip is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is ellipsis better than zip?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. zip is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other DevOps products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to ellipsis?
Top ellipsis alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ellipsis alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ellipsis for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to zip?
Top zip alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "zip alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/zip-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.