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 |