Command-Line Interface (CLI) Reference

slimarch.exe is the command-line engine for Slim Archiver. It creates and opens archives in the high-ratio .slim format, with optional encryption, self-extracting archives, and split volumes.

Engine: slimarch.exe · Version 1.0.0 · For the graphical application, run “Slim Archiver.exe” instead (see the User Guide). This reference covers the command line only.

1. Syntax

slimarch.exe <command> <archive.slim> [files/dirs...] [options]

Running slimarch.exe with no arguments prints built-in usage help.

2. Commands

Command	Action
`c`	Create archive — create a new `.slim` archive from files/folders.
`x`	Extract archive — extract an archive's contents to disk.
`l`	List archive — list the files/folders inside an archive.
`t`	Test archive — verify archive integrity.
`-hwid`	Utility — print this machine's Hardware ID (used for licensing).

3. Options

Compression method (create)

`-m1`	Fast — Zstandard level 3 (fastest).
`-m2`	Normal — Zstandard level 9 (balanced) [default].
`-m3`	High — Zstandard level 12 (best single-stream Zstd).
`-m4`	Very High — Zstd + LZMA hybrid (segment-cap N=4).
`-m5`	Extreme — Zstd + LZMA hybrid (segment-cap N=2).
`-m6`	Maximum — Zstd + LZMA hybrid (no segmentation, max ratio).

Dictionary size (create)

-d<size> Sliding dictionary size. Suffixes: k/K, m/M. Examples: -d16m, -d32m, -d64m (default). 64 MB is the maximum effective dictionary — larger values are clamped to 64 MB. Affects High (-m3) and above.

Worker threads

-t<N> Number of worker threads. Default: auto (all logical cores). Example: -t4.

Extraction destination (extract)

-o<dir> Folder to extract into. Default: alongside the archive. Example: -o"D:\Restored".

Encryption & security

`-p<pass>`	Encrypt (on create) or decrypt (on extract/list/test) using the given password. Encryption uses `XChaCha20-Poly1305` with `Argon2id` key derivation (libsodium).
`-en`	Also encrypt file names and metadata. Requires `-p`.
`-cac`	Encrypt using a Smart Card / CAC credential. ENT

Archive structure (create)

`-s`	Solid archive (default) — files share compression history for a better ratio.
`-s-`	Non-solid archive — compress files independently.
`-r`	Reproducible / deterministic archive — byte-identical output for identical input (normalized headers/timestamps).

Output format (create)

`-sfx`	Create a self-extracting `.exe` archive. PRO
`-v<size>`	Split into volumes of the given size. Suffixes: `k/m/g`. Examples: `-v10m`, `-v100m`, `-v4g`. PRO

Extraction behavior (extract)

`-y`	Overwrite existing files without prompting.

4. Licensing tiers

Free / Evaluation

All compression methods (-m1..-m6), extraction, listing, integrity test, password encryption (-p), and file-name encryption (-en).

Pro PRO

Self-extracting archives (-sfx) and split volumes (-v).

Enterprise ENT

Smart Card / CAC encryption (-cac), plus the GUI-based enterprise features (vault integration, cloud connectors, governance) described in the Administrator guides.

If a Pro or Enterprise option is used without the required license, the command reports the error and does not create the archive. To retrieve this machine's Hardware ID for activation: slimarch.exe -hwid.

5. Exit codes

Code	Meaning
`0`	Success.
`1`	Error (see the message printed to standard error).

Additional non-zero codes are used for specific conditions such as license gating; always check for a non-zero code to detect failure in scripts.

6. Examples

Task	Command
Print this machine's Hardware ID	`slimarch.exe -hwid`
Create a basic archive from a folder	`slimarch.exe c backup.slim project_folder`
Maximum compression with a 64 MB dictionary	`slimarch.exe c db.slim data -m6 -d64m`
Encrypt the archive and its file names	`slimarch.exe c secret.slim docs -pMyPassword -en`
Limit to 4 worker threads	`slimarch.exe c build.slim src -t4`
Extract to a folder, overwriting existing files	`slimarch.exe x backup.slim -o"D:\Restored" -y`
List an encrypted archive's contents	`slimarch.exe l secret.slim -pMyPassword`
Test archive integrity	`slimarch.exe t backup.slim`
Create a self-extracting archive PRO	`slimarch.exe c installer.slim app_files -sfx`
Split into 100 MB volumes PRO	`slimarch.exe c big.slim huge_folder -v100m`

7. Notes

The .slim format is created by Slim Archiver. To extract other formats (.zip, .rar, .tar, .gz, .tgz), use the graphical application.
There is no password recovery. If a password is lost, encrypted contents cannot be recovered.
Passwords passed with -p may be visible to other users via the process list on a shared machine; prefer the graphical application for sensitive passwords on multi-user systems.