ZIP, Gzip, and Bzip2 are compression formats used to reduce file sizes, but they function differently.
| Feature | ZIP | Gzip | Bzip2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression Type | File-based (multiple files in one archive) | Stream-based (single file compression) | Block-based (higher compression ratio) |
| Compression Ratio | Moderate | Moderate | Higher |
| Speed | Fast | Faster | Slower |
| File Format | .zip | .gz | .bz2 |
| Best Use Cases | General use, multiple files, Windows | Single file compression, Unix/Linux systems | Maximum compression, backups, large files |
ZIP: A widely used compression format that supports multiple files and directories in one archive. Used commonly on Windows.
Gzip: A fast and efficient compression format primarily used in Unix/Linux systems, best for single file compression.
Bzip2: A high compression format that achieves better ratios than Gzip but at the cost of slower compression speed.