Secure Compression Tool v1.0

A C++ CLI-based compression tool with built-in encryption, metadata handling, and support for binary files.

📦 Requirements

• ✅ C++17 compiler (e.g., g++ or clang++)
• ✅ nlohmann files
  • 👉 Place the file in the same directory as this tool (\nlohmann)

Optional (for large files):

• ✅ 16GB+ RAM recommended
• ✅ 64-bit OS

🔧 Compilation Instructions

Compile using g++:

g++ main.cpp -std=c++17 -o main

🚀 Usage Instructions

Step 1️⃣ - Run the program:

./main

Step 2️⃣ - Authenticate

• 🔐 Username: admin
• 🔐 Password: admin123

Step 3️⃣ - Choose Operation

• [1] Compress
• [2] Decompress

Step 4️⃣ - Enter XOR Key (e.g. "123x456x")

• 💡 This is used for encryption and decryption. Use the same key to decompress later.

📁 Compression Flow

• 👉 Input: any file (TXT, CSV, JSON, BIN, PDF, etc.)
• 👉 You'll be asked:
  • File path
  • Compression method: "huffman" or "shannon"
• ✅ Output:
  • Compressed binary: <filename>.bin
  • Metadata: <filename>.meta

📂 Decompression Flow

• 👉 Required:
  • Same XOR key used during compression
  • Original file name (e.g., "sample.csv")
• ✅ Output:
  • Restored file written as original (e.g., "sample.csv")

⚠️ Notes

• DO NOT delete the .meta file — it's required for decompression.
• The XOR key must be remembered — there's no recovery mechanism.
• Large files (1GB+) may take time depending on system resources.

🛠️ Support / Troubleshooting

• Make sure you're using the correct XOR key.
• Ensure the JSON metadata and binary file are not corrupted or renamed.
• Run in a terminal/console that supports UTF-8 characters.