Zstandard
Meta's compression tool that hits near-zlib ratios at far higher speed, now used across Linux and modern filesystems.
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2 more ways to get Zstandard
Package managers
- Chocolatey
choco install zstandard - Homebrew
brew install zstd
About Zstandard
Zstandard, or `zstd`, is a lossless compression algorithm built for real-time work: it compresses at roughly zlib's ratio but much faster, and decompresses faster still. That combination is why it has spread so widely, from btrfs and ZFS transparent compression to Arch and Fedora package files to Linux kernel images.
The format is stable and documented in RFC 8878, with independent implementations beyond Meta's reference one. The command-line tool reads and writes `.zst` and also handles `.gz`, `.xz` and `.lz4`, so it can stand in for the usual tools rather than adding another one alongside them.
Strengths
- Compression close to zlib's ratio at several times the speed, and much faster decompression
- The format is standardised in RFC 8878 with multiple independent implementations
- Also reads and writes gzip, xz and lz4, so it can replace several tools
- Long-range mode and a dictionary feature give unusually good results on many small similar files
Limitations
- A command-line tool with no graphical interface of its own
- Maximum ratio is below xz or 7z at their slowest settings, which is the trade it makes on purpose
- Older systems and archive tools may not recognise .zst files
- The Windows release is a portable build rather than an installer
Details
- Pricing
- Free · Free and open source, dual licensed BSD or GPLv2.
- License
- BSD-3-Clause
- Developer
- Meta
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Compressing backups, logs and package archives where speed matters as much as size
- Categories
- Archive and compression tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Compression); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 2 sources on file.