APK files]], or indirectly via Google Play Android application package file (APK) is the file format used to distribute and install application software and middleware onto Google's Android operating system. To make an APK file, a program for Android is first compiled, and then all of its parts are packaged into one file. This holds all of that program's code such as (.dex files), resources, assets, certificates, and manifest file. As is the case with many file formats, APK files can have any name needed, but must end with the four character, three letter extension, .apk.^[1][2][3][4]

APK files are ZIP file formatted packages based on the JAR file format, with .apk file extensions. The MIME type associated with APK files is application/vnd.android.package-archive.^[5]

Contents

An APK file is an archive that usually contains the following folders:

• META-INF directory:
  • MANIFEST.MF: the Manifest file
  • CERT.RSA: The certificate of the application.
  • CERT.SF: The list of resources and SHA-1 digest; for example:

  Signature-Version: 1.0  Created-By: 1.0 (Android)  SHA1-Digest-Manifest: wxqnEAI0UA5nO5QJ8CGMwjkGGWE=  ...  Name: res/layout/exchange_component_back_bottom.xml  SHA1-Digest: eACjMjESj7Zkf0cBFTZ0nqWrt7w=  ...  Name: res/drawable-hdpi/icon.png  SHA1-Digest: DGEqylP8W0n0iV/ZzBx3MW0WGCA= 

• res: the directory containing resources not compiled into resources.arsc (see below).
• AndroidManifest.xml: An additional Android manifest file, describing the name, version, access rights, referenced library files for the application. This file may be in Android binary XML that can be converted into human-readable plaintext XML with tools such as AXMLPrinter2, apktool, or Androguard.
• classes.dex: The classes compiled in the dex file format understandable by the Dalvik virtual machine
• resources.arsc : a file containing pre-compiled resources, such as binary XML for example.

See also

• Android software development

References

External links

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