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EntityQ2712· pop 19· linked from 417 articles

Also known as INFLATE, Flate, Deflate algorithm

In computing, Deflate (stylized as DEFLATE, and also called Flate) is a lossless data compression algorithm that uses a combination of LZ77 and Huffman coding. It was designed by Phil Katz, for version 2 of his PKZIP archiving tool. Deflate was later specified in Request for Comments (RFC) 1951 (1996).

Key facts

File format.name
Deflate
File format.extension
<!-- or:
File format.extensions
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File format.developer
Phil Katz, PKWare
File format.compression
LZ77, Huffman coding
File format.free
Yes
File format.open
Yes

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~18 min read

Article

15 sections
Contents
  • <span class="anchor" id="Stream format"></span> Block structure
  • Duplicate string elimination
  • Bit reduction
  • Encoder–compressor
  • Deflate64
  • Using Deflate in new software
  • Encoder implementations
  • Hardware encoders
  • Decoder, decompressor
  • Inflate-only implementations
  • Hardware decoders
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • External links

In computing, Deflate (stylized as DEFLATE, and also called Flate) is a lossless data compression algorithm that uses a combination of LZ77 and Huffman coding. It was designed by Phil Katz, for version 2 of his PKZIP archiving tool. Deflate was later specified in Request for Comments (RFC) 1951 (1996).

Katz also designed the original algorithm used to construct Deflate streams. This algorithm received software patent , assigned to PKWare, Inc. As stated in the RFC document, an algorithm producing Deflate files was widely thought to be implementable in a manner not covered by patents. This led to its widespread use. For example, in the zlib data format, gzip file format, Portable Network Graphics (PNG) image file, ZIP file format for which Katz originally designed it. The patent has since expired.

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