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GNU gzip
EntityQ283647· pop 31· linked from 393 articles

gzip is a file format and a file compression program. The program uses the Deflate algorithm to compress and decompress a single file using the gzip file format.

Key facts

Software.name
NetBSD Gzip / FreeBSD Gzip
Software.logo
Gzip-Logo.svg
Software.developer
The NetBSD Foundation
Software.operating system
Unix-like, Plan 9, Inferno
Software.genre
Data compression
Software.programming language
C
Software.license
Simplified BSD License
Software.website
hide
File format.name
gzip (file format)
File format.extension
.gz, .tgz, .gzip
File format.mime
application/gzip
File format.developer
Jean-Loup Gailly
File format.type
Data compression
File format.compression
Lossless
File format.container for
Deflate stream
File format.max_size
Unlimited

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Official website
www.gzip.org
Image
Gzip-screenshot.png
Show 6 more facts
Stack Exchange tag
stackoverflow.com/tags/gzip
software version identifier
1.14
Commons category
Gzip
inception
1992-00-00
mailing list archive URL
lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-gzip
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via Wikidata · CC0

~8 min read

Article

8 sections
Contents
  • File format
  • File structure
  • Implementations
  • Damage recovery
  • Derivatives and other uses
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

gzip is a file format and a file compression program. The program uses the Deflate algorithm to compress and decompress a single file using the gzip file format.

gzip was released in 1992 as a free software replacement for the compress program because its compression algorithm, LZW, was covered by patents from Unisys and IBM, which did not expire until 2003 and 2004. Jean-Loup Gailly designed the gzip file format, which was later specified by RFC 1952, and originally wrote the gzip program. Mark Adler wrote the decompression part. gzip is now developed by the GNU project.

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