# ebiggers/libdeflate

Heavily optimized library for DEFLATE/zlib/gzip compression and decompression

Repository: https://github.com/ebiggers/libdeflate
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/libdeflate
Language: C
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-08-22T18:46:06+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 91/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 75, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4266, "days_push": 11, "days_rel": 11, "gap_med": 159.5, "n_releases_24m": 5}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1278, forks 216 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:13.484506+00:00)

## What it is
libdeflate is a heavily optimized C library for whole-buffer DEFLATE, zlib, and gzip compression and decompression, significantly faster than zlib with optional higher-compression modes. It also ships convenience CLI programs including a drop-in gzip replacement and benchmark tools.

## Use cases
- compress and decompress gzip files faster than zlib
- replace zlib in an application for faster DEFLATE compression
- achieve better compression ratios than zlib level 9
- embed a lightweight DEFLATE codec in a C/C++ project
- benchmark compression and decompression speed
- checksum data with CRC-32 or Adler-32

## When to choose
- you need maximum DEFLATE/gzip compression or decompression speed
- you want higher compression ratios than zlib's level 9
- you need a small, easily embeddable C compression library
- you work on x86 or ARM where its SIMD optimizations shine

## When to avoid
- you need streaming compression of data that doesn't fit in memory
- you need full GNU gzip feature compatibility from the CLI
- you need formats beyond DEFLATE/zlib/gzip such as zstd or bzip2
- you rely on zlib's exact API and ecosystem compatibility

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: compression, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, files, performance
- platform: windows, cross-platform, cli, cpp
- tags: deflate, gzip, zlib, c-library, simd-optimized, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- ebiggers/libdeflate (main) score 91

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:13.484506+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T05:02:45.285900+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/ebiggers/libdeflate (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:13.484506+00:00, sha 73523cd7afc9)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.