Gzip Compressed Archive

What is GZ?

GZ (Gzip) is a file compression format and software application used for file compression and decompression. It uses the DEFLATE compression algorithm, which is a combination of LZ77 and Huffman coding, to reduce file sizes efficiently.

Gzip is commonly used in Unix-like operating systems and is the standard compression format for the web (HTTP compression). The format typically compresses a single file, but it's often combined with TAR to create .tar.gz archives containing multiple files.

History

Gzip was created by Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler on October 31, 1992, as a free software replacement for the patented compress program.

• 1992: Gzip 0.1 released
• 1993: Gzip 1.0 with DEFLATE algorithm
• 1996: RFC 1952 standardizes format
• 1999: HTTP/1.1 includes gzip as standard

Key Features

• DEFLATE Algorithm: Efficient LZ77 + Huffman coding
• Fast Compression: Optimized for speed
• Streaming: Can compress data streams
• CRC32 Checksum: Built-in error detection
• Free & Open: No patent restrictions
• Web Standard: Native server/browser support

Common Uses

• HTTP compression for faster page loads
• Linux software packages (.tar.gz)
• Log file compression
• Database backups
• Web content delivery
• File transfer optimization

Advantages

• Fast compression and decompression
• Good compression ratios
• Universal Unix/Linux support
• No licensing fees
• Web server integration

Limitations

• Compresses single files only
• Not as efficient as 7z or xz
• No encryption support
• No file integrity beyond CRC32

Technical Information

Gzip uses the DEFLATE compression algorithm combining LZ77 (sliding window) and Huffman coding. The format includes a header with metadata and a CRC32 checksum for error detection.