gzip Cheatsheet
Quick reference for compressing, listing, testing, and decompressing files with gzip and gunzip in Linux
The `gzip` command compresses files using the DEFLATE algorithm, while `gunzip` restores them. This cheatsheet covers common compression and decompression commands, useful flags, streaming patterns, and quick troubleshooting checks.
Basic Syntax
Core command forms for gzip and gunzip.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
gzip FILE | Compress a file and replace it with FILE.gz |
gzip -k FILE | Compress and keep original file |
gzip -d FILE.gz | Decompress a .gz file |
gunzip FILE.gz | Decompress a .gz file |
zcat FILE.gz | Print decompressed content to stdout |
Compression Levels
Control speed versus compression ratio.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
gzip -1 FILE | Fastest compression, larger output |
gzip -6 FILE | Default compression level |
gzip -9 FILE | Maximum compression, slower |
gzip -k -9 FILE | Max compression while keeping original |
Compress Multiple Files
Apply gzip to groups of files.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
gzip *.log | Compress all matching log files |
gzip -r logs/ | Recursively compress files in a directory |
find . -name '*.txt' -print0 | xargs -0 gzip | Compress matching files safely |
for f in *.csv; do gzip -k "$f"; done | Compress files and keep originals |
gzip -- *.txt | Compress files, safe for dash-prefixed names |
Decompress and Inspect
Restore and verify compressed files.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
gunzip archive.gz | Decompress and remove .gz file |
gzip -dk archive.gz | Decompress and keep .gz file |
gzip -l archive.gz | Show compressed/uncompressed sizes |
gzip -v FILE | Show compression ratio and details |
gzip -t archive.gz | Test integrity without extracting |
zcat archive.gz | less | View content without writing files |
Streams and Pipelines
Use gzip without intermediate files.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
mysqldump mydb | gzip > mydb.sql.gz | Compress command output directly |
gzip -c file.txt > file.txt.gz | Write compressed output to stdout |
gunzip -c backup.sql.gz > backup.sql | Decompress to a chosen file |
tar -cf - project/ | gzip > project.tar.gz | Create compressed tar stream |
gzip -dc access.log.gz | grep ERROR | Search content in compressed logs |
Troubleshooting
Quick checks for common gzip issues.
| Issue | Check |
|---|---|
gzip: command not found | Install gzip package and verify with gzip --version |
| Original file disappeared after compression | Use -k to keep source files |
not in gzip format | Confirm file type with file filename before decompression |
| Corrupt archive errors | Run gzip -t file.gz to validate integrity |
| Unexpected overwrite behavior | Use -k or output redirection with -c to control file writes |
Related Guides
Use these guides for full workflows and archive handling.
| Guide | Description |
|---|---|
| gzip Command in Linux | Full gzip tutorial with examples |
| gunzip Command in Linux | Decompress .gz files in detail |
| How to Create Tar Gz File | Build compressed tar archives |
| Tar Command in Linux | Create and extract tar archives |
| Find Large Files in Linux | Locate files before compression cleanup |
