lzip¶
Format: .lz · Algorithm: LZMA · First released: 2008 (Antonio Diaz Diaz)
lzip uses the same LZMA algorithm as xz, so ratios are similar, but wraps it in a deliberately simple container. Its author argues that the xz format is overly complex and fragile for long-term archiving; lzip prioritizes a minimal, well-specified format, strong integrity checking, and recovery tools. Some GNU projects publish .tar.lz tarballs.
Basics¶
lzip file # -> file.lz, removes file
lzip -k file # keep original
lzip -d file.lz # decompress
lzip -9 file # max compression (-0 fastest, -6 default)
lzip -c file > out.lz # to stdout
lzip -t file.lz # test
lzip -l file.lz # list sizes and ratio
With tar¶
tar --lzip -cvf archive.tar.lz src_dir/
tar xf archive.tar.lz # auto-detected
tar -I plzip -cf archive.tar.lz src_dir/
Related tools¶
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
plzip |
Parallel lzip (format-compatible) |
lziprecover |
Repair damaged files, merge good parts from multiple damaged copies, extract undamaged members, add redundancy |
tarlz |
Archiver that creates .tar.lz with each member compressed separately, enabling parallel extraction and better damage isolation |
lunzip, clzip |
Small decompressor and C implementation |
lziprecover -t file.lz # test
lziprecover -R file.lz # try to repair a single-byte error
lziprecover -m -o fixed.lz copy1.lz copy2.lz # merge good parts of two damaged copies
When to use it¶
- Long-term archives where you want recovery options and a simple format to reimplement decades from now.
- Projects that already distribute
.tar.lz.
For day-to-day work, zstd or xz have broader tool support.