gzip is a software application used for file compression and decompression. It is a common way of compressing files in Linux.

The gzip command in Linux is used to compress files. It reduces the size of a file or a group of files and creates a compressed file with the extension .gz.

Here are a few examples of how to use the gzip command:

The syntax gzip command

gzip [ -acdfhlLnNrtvV19 ] [-S suffix] [ name ...  ]

On the man page, the describes it

Gzip reduces the size of the named files using Lempel-Ziv coding (LZ77).

gzip command in Linux with Examples

Creating a compressed file

[huupv@DevopsRoles ~]$ gzip filename.txt

Decompress a File Using the gzip Command

[huupv@DevopsRoles ~]$ gzip -d filename.gz

Decompress multiple compressed files

gzip -d file1.gz file2.gz file3.gz

The following details about gzip command in Linux.

man gzip

Compress multiple files

gzip file1 file2 file3

Keep the original file after compression or decompression

gzip -k filename
gzip -dk filename.gz

The -k option is used to keep the original file after compression or decompression. When compressing a file, the original file will be retained, and a compressed file will be created with the .gz extension. Similarly, when decompressing a file, the original compressed file will be retained, and a decompressed file will be created without the .gz extension.

Conclusion

gzip command is a simple command in Linux. It is the most popular in-use terminal Linux for file compression and