Cross-platform file compression
Command Line – zip
© Photo by Alexander Ross on Unsplash
If you use file compression regularly, zip belongs in your Linux toolbox.
File compression in Linux is usually handled by the native commands tar, gzip, or bzip2. However, an additional alternative is zip [1], a popular cross-platform command supported by a variety of scripts and utilities. If you are dealing with someone using another operating system, zip is often the ideal choice among these compression tools.
Admittedly, on Linux, zip has fallen out of favor, because for a time it did not support 64-bit computing and could not handle files large than 2MB. Today, though, zip, gzip, and bzip2 are broadly similar in functionality and structure. All three have similar options, although not always the same name for every option. All three, too, have a history of providing alternate command names for some functions, such as unzip and ungzip, that duplicate standard options – presumably to make the commands easier to remember.
Despite these similarities, neither zip nor gzip recognizes the other's extensions, although both can use files created by the other if the extension is changed. zip can use the option --bzip to use bzip options, which can produce somewhat better compression rates, at least in theory, on binary files.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs Transitions to Linux
Another major organization has decided to kick Microsoft Windows and Office to the curb in favor of Linux.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.