INFO-TECH

Google launched Zopfli Compression Algorithm, a new open sourced general purpose data compression library.

It is a new deflate compatible compressor that was inspired by compression improvements developed originally for the lossless mode of WebP image compression. Being compatible with deflate makes Zopfli's output compatible with zlib. It uses a different and more effective algorithm to compress data that can compress web content about 3-8% smaller compared to zlib at maximum compression.

Due to the amount of CPU time required — 2 to 3 orders of magnitude more than zlib at maximum quality — Zopfli is best suited for applications where data is compressed once and sent over a network many times, for example, static content for the web. By open sourcing Zopfli, thus allowing webmasters to better optimize the size of frequently accessed static content, hope to make the Internet a bit faster for all of us. Most internet browsers support deflate decompression, and it has a wide range of other applications. Because Zopfli is compatible with the decompression algorithms that are already part of all modern web browsers, using Google's new algorithm and library on a server could lead to faster data transmission speeds and lower web page latencies, which would ultimately make the web a little bit faster.

Zopfli is written in C. It is bit-stream compatible with compression used in gzip, Zip, PNG, HTTP requests and others.