How to linux gzip in python

The Linux gzip command is used to compress files in order to reduce their size and save disk space. It is a command-line utility that uses the gzip algorithm to compress files. The command takes a file as input and creates a compressed version of the file with a .gz extension. The compressed file can be decompressed using the gunzip command. The gzip command can also be used to compress multiple files at once using wildcards or by specifying a directory. The compression level can be adjusted using the -1 to -9 options, with -9 providing the highest compression ratio but taking longer to compress.. Keep reading below to learn how to linux gzip in python.

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Linux ‘gzip’ in Python With Example Code

If you’re working with large files in Python, you may want to compress them to save space and make them easier to transfer. One popular compression format is gzip, which is widely used on Linux systems. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to use Python to gzip files on Linux.

The first step is to import the gzip module in Python:

import gzip

Next, you’ll need to open the file you want to compress. You can do this using the built-in open() function:

with open('file.txt', 'rb') as f_in:

The ‘rb’ argument tells Python to open the file in binary mode, which is necessary for working with gzip files. Now that you have the file open, you can create a new gzip file and write the compressed data to it:

with gzip.open('file.txt.gz', 'wb') as f_out:
    f_out.writelines(f_in)

The ‘wb’ argument tells Python to open the file in write mode and binary mode, which is necessary for writing gzip files. The writelines() method writes the compressed data to the new file.

Finally, you’ll want to close both files to free up system resources:

f_in.close()
f_out.close()

And that’s it! You’ve successfully compressed a file using gzip in Python. This technique can be useful for compressing large log files, backups, or any other type of file that you need to transfer or store efficiently.

Equivalent of linux gzip in python

In conclusion, the gzip command in Linux is a powerful tool for compressing and decompressing files. However, Python also offers a similar functionality through its built-in gzip module. With just a few lines of code, you can easily compress and decompress files in Python, making it a great alternative to the Linux gzip command. Whether you’re working on a Linux system or a Python project, having knowledge of both tools can be incredibly useful in managing and manipulating files. So, whether you choose to use the Linux gzip command or the Python gzip module, you can be confident that you have the tools you need to handle file compression and decompression efficiently.