gzip

GZIP File Format and Implementations - gzip is based on the DEFLATE algorithm, a combination of LZ77 and Huffman coding. - gzip file format consists of a 10-byte header, including a magic number, compression method, and timestamp. - The file format allows for optional extra headers, such as the original filename and comment field. - The body of the file contains a DEFLATE-compressed payload. - The file ends with an 8-byte trailer containing a CRC-32 checksum and the length of the original uncompressed data. - NetBSD Gzip, FreeBSD Gzip, and OpenBSD's version of gzip are implementations of gzip. - Zopfli is an alternative compression program that achieves better compression but requires more time. - pigz, written by Mark Adler, is compatible with gzip and speeds up compression using multiple CPU cores and threads. Damage Recovery and Derivatives - Data in blocks before the damaged part of the archive is usually fully readable. - Data from blocks after the damaged part may be recoverable through difficult workarounds. - The tar utility can extract .tar.gz files by using the 'z' option. - zlib is an abstraction of the DEFLATE algorithm and supports the gzip file format. - The gzip format is used in HTTP compression to speed up content delivery on the web. - bzip2 is a gzip replacement that produces smaller files but requires more memory and processing time. - AdvanceCOMP and 7-Zip can produce gzip-compatible files with better compression ratios. GZIP File Format Specification - RFC 1952 is the GZIP file format specification version 4.3. - GZIP files have the extension .dmg or .egg. - The GZIP file format specification is an industry standard. - The specification provides guidelines for compressing and decompressing files. Contributors to GZIP - Alexandre Oliva, Benjamin Mako Hill, Bradley M. Kuhn, Brian Fox, and Federico Heinz have contributed to the development of GZIP. Importance and Alternatives of GZIP - GZIP is widely used for file compression on the internet. - GZIP helps reduce the size of files for faster transmission. - Compressed files using GZIP can be easily decompressed. - GZIP is compatible with various operating systems and platforms. - GZIP is an essential tool for efficient data storage and transfer. - ZIP, BZIP2, LZMA, Zstandard (Zstd), and 7-Zip are alternative file compression formats to GZIP. Applications of GZIP - GZIP is commonly used for compressing web content, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. - GZIP is often used in web servers to compress data before sending it to clients. - GZIP is utilized in backup and archiving tools to reduce file sizes. - GZIP is employed in software distribution to compress installation packages. - GZIP is used in various file formats, including TAR, to reduce storage requirements.