| Extension | .bz2 |
| Category | archives |
| Description | The BZ2 format is a file compression format that uses the Burrows-Wheeler Transform (BWT) algorithm combined with the Run-Length Encoding (RLE) and Huffman coding techniques. It is an extension of the BZIP2 compression format and is commonly used to compress and decompress files on Unix-like operating systems.
BZ2 files typically have a ".bz2" file extension and are created using software tools such as bzip2. They offer high compression ratios, making them suitable for reducing the size of large files or archives while maintaining data integrity.
BZ2 files are commonly used for distributing software packages, storing backups, and archiving files on Unix-based systems. They are supported by various file compression utilities and libraries, making them widely accessible and versatile for data compression needs. |
| Technical details | Bzip2 typically achieves higher compression ratios than older algorithms like ZIP or GZIP.
Files compressed using the Bzip2 algorithm are often given the ".bz2" file extension. This extension helps identify the files as being compressed using the Bzip2 algorithm.
Bzip2 offers high compression ratios, making it particularly effective for compressing large files.
Bzip2 can compress multiple files into a single archive using a separate compression technique called "tar" (tape archive). This creates a tarball, which is a single file that contains multiple files and directories compressed using the Bzip2 algorithm. The resulting file typically has the ".tar.bz2" extension.
Bzip2 is open-source software distributed under the terms of the BSD License. It is freely available for various operating systems, including Unix-like systems, Linux, macOS, and Windows. |
