Compress to Any Archive Format

ZIP Archive - universal compression format with wide compatibility. Perfect for everyday file sharing, email attachments, and general compression. Supports password protection and multiple compression levels (0-9). Built into all operating systems.

RAR Archive - high-compression format with excellent ratios. Supports solid compression, recovery records, and AES encryption. Popular for large file collections and software distribution. Requires WinRAR or compatible software.

7-Zip Archive - best compression ratio available. Uses LZMA/LZMA2 algorithms with AES-256 encryption. Free and open-source. Perfect for maximizing storage efficiency and creating the smallest possible archives.

TAR Archive - Tape Archive format from Unix (1979), the standard bundling format for Unix/Linux systems. TAR bundles multiple files and directories into a single file without compression, preserving critical Unix file attributes like permissions, ownership, timestamps, and symbolic links. Often combined with compression algorithms (tar.gz, tar.bz2, tar.xz) for efficient distribution. Essential for Linux software packages, system backups, and cross-platform file transfer. Works with streaming operations enabling network transfers. Foundation of Unix/Linux backup and distribution systems.

GZIP/TGZ - GNU zip compression format (1992) using DEFLATE algorithm, the standard compression for Linux and Unix systems. TGZ is a TAR archive compressed with GZIP. Fast compression and decompression with moderate ratios (typically 50-70% reduction for text). Single-file compression commonly paired with TAR for multi-file archives. Universal on Unix/Linux systems with built-in 'gzip' command. Perfect for log files, text data, Linux software distribution, and web server compression. Streaming-friendly enabling on-the-fly compression. Industry standard for Unix file compression since the 1990s.

BZIP2/TBZ2 - Block-sorting compression format by Julian Seward (1996) offering better compression than GZIP (10-15% smaller) at the cost of slower processing. TBZ2 is a TAR archive compressed with BZIP2. Uses Burrows-Wheeler transform achieving excellent ratios on text and source code. Popular for software distribution where size matters more than speed. Common in Linux package repositories and source code archives. Ideal for archival storage, software releases, and situations prioritizing compression over speed. Standard tool on most Unix/Linux systems.

XZ/TXZ - Modern compression format (2009) using LZMA2 algorithm providing excellent compression ratios approaching 7Z quality. TXZ is a TAR archive compressed with XZ. Superior to GZIP and BZIP2 with ratios similar to 7Z but as a single-file stream. Becoming the new standard for Linux distributions and software packages. Supports multi-threading for faster processing. Perfect for large archives, software distribution, and modern Linux systems. Smaller download sizes for software packages while maintaining fast decompression. Default compression for many current Linux distributions like Arch and Fedora.

TAR.7Z Archive - TAR archive compressed with 7-Zip's LZMA algorithm, combining Unix archiving with the best compression available. Merges TAR's ability to preserve Unix file attributes (permissions, ownership, symbolic links) with 7Z's exceptional compression ratios (typically 30-50% better than TAR.GZ). Less common than other TAR variants but incredibly effective for maximum space savings on Unix/Linux systems. Perfect for creating the smallest possible Linux backups, distributing large software packages where size is critical, or archiving large codebases and document collections. Requires 7-Zip tools for extraction.

TAR.BZ Archive - TAR archive compressed with BZIP compression, an alternative notation for TBZ/TBZ2 format. Uses Burrows-Wheeler transform for excellent compression on text and source code, achieving 10-20% better ratios than TAR.GZ at the cost of slower compression and decompression speeds. Popular in Linux source code distributions, software releases, and situations where bandwidth or storage is limited but CPU time is available. Common in Gentoo Linux and source-based distributions. Preserves all Unix file attributes while providing superior compression for text-heavy content.

TAR.LZ Archive - TAR archive compressed with LZIP format, using LZMA algorithm similar to XZ but with different container format. LZIP emphasizes data integrity and long-term archival with built-in error detection and recovery capabilities. Provides compression ratios similar to XZ/LZMA2 while prioritizing data safety and archival quality. Less common than other formats but valued in digital preservation communities and long-term backup scenarios. Perfect for archival purposes where data integrity over decades matters, scientific data preservation, and critical backup scenarios. Supports data recovery from damaged archives better than most formats.

TAR.LZMA Archive - TAR archive compressed with LZMA (Lempel-Ziv-Markov chain Algorithm), the predecessor to XZ format. Provides excellent compression ratios similar to modern XZ but using older container format. Largely superseded by XZ format which uses LZMA2 algorithm and offers better performance. Still encountered in older Linux distributions and legacy software packages from mid-2000s era. Compatible with most modern archive tools but XZ is now preferred for new archives. Historical format important for accessing older Linux software repositories and legacy system backups.

TAR.LZO Archive - TAR archive compressed with LZO (Lempel-Ziv-Oberhumer) algorithm, emphasizing decompression speed over compression ratio. LZO is extraordinarily fast for decompression (5-10x faster than GZIP) while providing moderate compression (similar to GZIP but slightly less). Perfect for scenarios requiring rapid extraction: live system backups, network file transfers with on-the-fly decompression, embedded systems with limited CPU power, real-time data streaming, and high-speed backup operations. Popular in system administration and backup tools. Trade-off: slightly larger files but significantly faster operations.

TAR.Z Archive - TAR archive compressed with classic Unix compress utility (LZW algorithm), one of the oldest compression formats from early Unix systems (1980s). Historically significant but now obsolete, largely replaced by GZIP which offers better compression and no patent concerns. Compress utility was once standard on Unix systems but removed due to LZW patent issues (now expired). Files are typically larger than modern alternatives. Mainly encountered in very old Unix archives, legacy system backups from 1980s-1990s, and historical software distributions. Important for accessing ancient Unix archives but should be converted to modern formats for better compatibility.

TGZ - Abbreviated form of TAR.GZ, combining TAR's file bundling with GZIP's compression in a single extension (.tgz instead of .tar.gz). Standard format for Linux software distribution and source code packages. Maintains Unix file permissions and attributes while reducing size 50-70%. Fast compression and decompression speeds make it ideal for everyday use. Universal compatibility on Unix/Linux systems with built-in tools. Perfect for software releases, backup archives, and cross-platform file transfer. Functionally identical to TAR.GZ, just using a shorter file extension that's easier to type and more convenient for DOS/Windows systems with extension length limits.

TBZ2 - Abbreviated form of TAR.BZ2, combining TAR archiving with BZIP2 compression in a shorter extension. Better compression than TGZ (10-15% smaller files) but slower processing speeds. Uses Burrows-Wheeler block sorting for excellent text compression. Common in Linux distributions and software packages where size is critical and users have time for compression. Maintains Unix file permissions and attributes. Perfect for source code distribution, archival storage, and bandwidth-limited transfers. Standard format for Gentoo Linux packages and large software archives. Trade-off between TGZ's speed and TXZ's compression ratio.

TXZ - Abbreviated form of TAR.XZ, combining TAR archiving with modern XZ (LZMA2) compression. Modern format offering the best compression ratios for TAR archives (significantly better than TGZ and TBZ2). Fast decompression despite high compression ratios. Supports multi-threading for improved performance on modern CPUs. Becoming the standard for Linux distributions with Arch Linux and Slackware prominently using TXZ packages. Maintains Unix permissions and symbolic links perfectly. Perfect for large software packages, system backups, and efficient storage. Represents the future of Unix archive compression with excellent balance of size and speed.

LZMA - Lempel-Ziv-Markov chain Algorithm compression format (2001) offering excellent compression ratios. Can be used standalone for single-file compression or combined with TAR for multi-file archives (TAR.LZMA). Predecessor to XZ format using similar algorithm but older container format. Better compression than GZIP and BZIP2 but superseded by XZ/LZMA2 which offers improved performance and features. Still encountered in older Linux distributions and legacy archives from mid-2000s. Slower compression than GZIP but better ratios approaching 7Z quality. Modern systems prefer XZ over LZMA for new archives.

LZO - Lempel-Ziv-Oberhumer compression format prioritizing speed over compression ratio. Can be used standalone for single-file compression or with TAR (TAR.LZO). Extremely fast compression and decompression (significantly faster than GZIP) with moderate ratios (30-50% reduction). Popular in real-time applications, live systems, and scenarios requiring instant decompression. Used by some Linux kernels and embedded systems. Common in backup solutions prioritizing speed over size. Perfect for temporary compression, live CD/USB systems, and high-speed data transfer. Trade-off: larger files than GZIP/BZIP2/XZ but much faster processing.

Z - Unix compress format from 1985 using LZW (Lempel-Ziv-Welch) algorithm. Can be used standalone (.Z files) or with TAR (TAR.Z). Historical Unix compression format predating GZIP. Patent issues (until 2003) led to GZIP replacing it as the standard. Legacy format with poor compression by modern standards. Rarely used today except in very old Unix systems and historical archives. If you encounter .Z or .tar.Z files, consider converting to modern formats (GZ, XZ) for better compression and wider support. Important for accessing ancient Unix archives from 1980s-1990s but obsolete for new compression tasks.

ISO Image - ISO 9660 disk image format containing exact sector-by-sector copy of optical media (CD/DVD/Blu-ray). Standard format for distributing operating systems, software installations, and bootable media. Can be mounted as virtual drive on modern operating systems without burning to physical disc. Contains complete filesystem including boot sectors, metadata, and file structures. Essential for Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora ISOs), system recovery media, and software archives requiring disc-like structure. Used by virtual machines, burning software, and media servers. Universal standard with support in Windows, macOS, and Linux for mounting and burning. Perfect for preserving complete disc contents digitally or creating bootable installation media.

Cabinet Archive - Microsoft's proprietary compression format for Windows installers and system files since 1996. Used extensively in Windows setup packages, driver installations, system updates, and software distribution. Supports multiple compression algorithms (DEFLATE, LZX, Quantum), split archives for multi-disc installations, and digital signatures for security verification. Built into Windows with native extraction support (no additional software needed). Common in Windows Installer packages (.msi), older software installers, and Microsoft products. Maintains Windows-specific file attributes and can store multiple files with complete folder structures. Can span multiple files for large installations.

AR Archive - Unix archiver format from the 1970s originally for creating library archives (.a files). Simple format storing multiple files with basic metadata (filename, modification time, permissions). Used primarily for static libraries in Unix development (.a extension) and as the foundation format for DEB packages (Debian packages are AR archives containing control and data tar.gz files). Minimal compression support (none by default). Essential for Unix library management and Debian package structure. Standard 'ar' tool included on all Unix/Linux systems. Simple and reliable for static file collections, though largely superseded by TAR for general archiving needs.

Debian Package - Software package format for Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and other Debian-based Linux distributions. Contains compiled software binaries, installation scripts, configuration files, and dependency metadata for package management. Used by APT package manager (apt, apt-get, dpkg commands) to install, update, and remove software. Actually a special AR archive containing control files (installation metadata) and data archives (actual files to install). Essential format for Debian-based Linux software distribution with thousands of packages available. Includes pre/post-installation scripts, version management, dependency resolution, and conflict handling. Standard packaging for Ubuntu/Debian applications. Can be inspected and extracted as regular archive but proper installation requires dpkg.

RPM Package - Red Hat Package Manager format for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, CentOS, SUSE, and derivative Linux distributions. Contains compiled software binaries, installation metadata, scripts, and dependency information for system-wide software management. Used by YUM and DNF package managers for installing, updating, and removing software. Includes GPG signature support for security verification and authenticity checking. Standard for Red Hat Enterprise Linux ecosystem and derivatives. Supports pre/post-installation scriptlets, file verification, rollback capabilities, and complex dependency resolution. Essential format for RHEL-based Linux software distribution with mature package management. Can be extracted as archive to inspect contents without installation, but proper installation requires rpm or yum/dnf package managers.

JAR Archive - Java Archive format based on ZIP compression, specifically designed for packaging Java applications and libraries. Contains compiled Java classes (.class files), application resources (images, sounds, config files), and manifest metadata defining the application structure. Standard distribution format for Java applications, libraries, and applets since 1996. Supports digital signatures for code verification and security. Can be executable (runnable JAR files with Main-Class manifest entry) or used as libraries. Perfect for Java application deployment, library distribution, and plugin systems. Compatible with standard ZIP tools but includes Java-specific features and conventions. Essential format for Java development and deployment across all platforms.

ARJ Archive - Legacy DOS compression format developed by Robert Jung in 1991, extremely popular in the DOS and early Windows era. Offered good compression ratios and ability to create multi-volume archives, password protection, and damage protection features. Largely obsolete today, replaced by modern formats like ZIP, RAR, and 7Z which offer better compression and wider support. Still occasionally encountered in legacy systems, old software archives, and retro computing. Requires ARJ or compatible decompression software (not built into modern systems). Historical format important for accessing old DOS/Windows archives from the 1990s. Better converted to modern formats for long-term accessibility and compatibility.

LHA/LZH Archive - Japanese compression format (also known as LZH) developed by Haruyasu Yoshizaki in 1988, extremely popular in Japan and with Amiga computer users during the 1990s. Uses LZSS and LZHUF compression algorithms providing good compression ratios for the era. Common for Japanese software distribution, Amiga software archives, and retro computing communities. Supports archive headers, directory structures, and file attributes. Legacy format now mostly replaced by modern alternatives like ZIP and 7Z. Still encountered in retro computing, Japanese software archives from the 1990s, and Amiga communities. Requires LHA/LZH compatible software for extraction. Important for accessing Japanese software archives and Amiga software preservation.

CPIO Archive - Copy In/Out archive format from Unix (1970s) designed for creating file archives with streaming capabilities. Simpler format than TAR, often used for system backups, initial RAM disk (initramfs/initrd) creation in Linux boot processes, and system-level archiving. Standard format for Linux initial RAM disk images loaded during boot. Supports multiple format variants (binary, ASCII, CRC) for different use cases. Better handling of special files, device nodes, and deep directory hierarchies than TAR. Common in system administration, bootloader configurations, kernel initrd images, and RPM package internals. Universal on Unix/Linux systems with built-in 'cpio' command. Essential for system-level archiving and embedded Linux systems.