7-Zip (7z)
An open-source archive format that often provides higher compression ratios compared to ZIP or RAR.
File compression glossary
Every important file compression term explained
An open-source archive format that often provides higher compression ratios compared to ZIP or RAR.
A specific set of rules or procedures used to compress and decompress data. Common compression algorithms include DEFLATE, LZMA, and Huffman coding.
A collection of one or more files that have been grouped together for easier storage and transmission. Archives are often compressed but not necessarily so.
An advanced compression algorithm that represents data as a single floating-point number between 0 and 1.
Methods (lossy or lossless) used to reduce the size of audio files like MP3, WAV, AAC, or FLAC.
An open-source, royalty-free video coding format developed by the Alliance for Open Media.
The maximum rate of data transfer across a given path. Compression helps reduce the amount of bandwidth needed to transmit files.
Processing or compressing multiple files or tasks at once, often in an automated fashion.
The amount of data processed per unit of time, commonly used in audio or video compression. It can be constant (CBR), variable (VBR) or average (ABR).
A compression method that processes data in blocks (chunks) rather than a continuous stream. Examples include certain implementations of LZ-based algorithms.
Brotli is a modern data compression algorithm developed by Google, offering superior compression ratios compared to traditional methods like Gzip.
A popular open-source, lossless data compression tool that uses the Burrows–Wheeler algorithm.
A value used to verify the integrity of a file before and after compression or transfer.
Splitting a large file into smaller parts (chunks) for easier uploading, downloading, or parallel processing.
Performing file compression and decompression using servers in the cloud rather than local hardware.
Short for "coder-decoder", it refers to the software or hardware that compresses and decompresses data - commonly used in audio and video file handling.
The process of encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation, resulting in a smaller file size.
A type of file format that can contain various types of data, such as audio, video, and metadata. Examples include MP4, MKV, and AVI for video files.
An HTTP header indicating the compression method used for transmitted data.
A method for detecting errors in compressed data.
A process that eliminates redundant copies of data to reduce storage requirements.
The process of restoring a compressed file to its original size and format.
A commonly used lossless data compression algorithm that combines LZ77 and Huffman coding, used in formats like ZIP and gzip.
A compression technique that stores differences between sequential data rather than the full data.
Compression methods (like LZ77/LZ78) that build and reference a "dictionary" of data segments to reduce redundancy.
Securing data so that it can only be accessed or decrypted by authorized parties, often used alongside compression but distinct from it.
A measure of randomness in data that determines how effectively it can be compressed.
A technique (like Huffman or Arithmetic coding) that compresses by assigning shorter codes to more frequent symbols.
Features that allow partial recovery of compressed data even if some portions are corrupted.
Changing a file from one format to another (e.g., converting WAV to MP3), which sometimes involves compression as part of the process.
A standard way that information is encoded for storage in a computer file (e.g., JPG, PNG, MP3, PDF).
Metadata at the beginning of a compressed file containing information about the compression method and file properties.
A software application and file format for compression/decompression, often used on Unix-like systems.
Video encoding standards that offer high compression efficiency with good image quality.
The compression of web content before transmission to reduce bandwidth usage and loading times.
A technique for lossless data compression that uses variable-length codes based on the frequency of occurrence for each data element.
Methods (lossy or lossless) used to reduce the size of image files like TIFF, JPEG, PNG, or WebP.
A type of compression where the original data can be perfectly reconstructed from the compressed data (e.g., PNG, FLAC, or ZIP).
A type of compression that discards some data, resulting in reduced quality or resolution to achieve smaller file sizes (e.g., JPEG, MP3).
Data that provides information about other data, such as file attributes (author, date created, etc.). Sometimes removed or optimized to reduce file size.
A standard identifier for file formats and content types, used in web servers and email systems.
A compression technique (often used in video) where the encoder analyzes the data in multiple passes to achieve better optimization.
Specific techniques used to reduce PDF file sizes, such as image downsampling, font embedding, and removing unnecessary metadata.
A technique where compressed data is structured to allow partial decompression and viewing before the entire file is processed.
A setting in lossy compression that dictates the level of detail retained (and therefore file size). Commonly used in JPEG compression.
A proprietary archive format that provides robust compression and optional error recovery features.
Reducing the resolution or sampling rate (in images or audio) to achieve smaller file sizes.
Real-time compression of data as it's being transmitted, common in network applications.
An archive format that includes decompression software, allowing users to extract files without installing a separate decompression tool.
Short for Tape Archive, a common Unix-based archiving format often paired with compression (e.g., .tar.gz).
The process of converting from one encoding to another, often involving lossy compression in multimedia files.
Reducing the size of video files using codecs like H.264, H.265 (HEVC), or VP9, which often includes spatial and temporal compression techniques.
VP8/VP9 are open-source video codecs developed by Google, with VP8 (2008) offering basic web video compression and VP9 (2013) providing enhanced efficiency for high-resolution streaming.
A common archive and compression format widely used for both Windows and Mac systems.