File Compression
The process of reducing the size of a file for various purposes such as storage or
transmission.
Types of File Compression
Lossless Compression
Lossy Compression
Lossless Compression
Retains all original data after compression and decompression.
Ideal for data where every bit is essential.
Examples: ZIP, gzip, PNG.
Lossy Compression
Discards some data during compression, leading to a reduction in quality.
Suitable for multimedia data.
Examples: JPEG, MP3, MPEG.
Applications
Lossless:
Text files
Program files
Database files
Lossy:
Images
Audio
Video
Lossless Compression Algorithms
Huffman Coding
LZW (Lempel-Ziv-Welch) Compression
Burrows-Wheeler Transform (BWT)
Run-Length Encoding (RLE)
Lossy Compression Algorithms
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer III)
MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)
AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)
Trade-offs
Lossless:
No loss of data.
Achieves lower compression ratios compared to lossy compression.
Lossy:
Achieves higher compression ratios.
Sacrifices some data quality.
Usage Considerations
Lossless compression is suitable for scenarios where data integrity is paramount,
such as archiving.
Lossy compression is appropriate for multimedia content where a certain loss of
quality is acceptable in exchange for reduced file sizes.
