# Install gzip with Homebrew, apk, chocolatey, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper Popular GNU data compression program. Version 1.14 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:gzip ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install gzip ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install gzip ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: archivers/gzip/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add gzip ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: gzip from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install gzip ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: gzip from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install gzip ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: gzip from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#gzip ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: gzip from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S gzip ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: gzip from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install gzip ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: gzip from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ### Windows - Chocolatey (92%): ```sh choco install gzip ``` Evidence: Chocolatey community package catalog: gzip from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','gpg4win-vanilla' - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install main/gzip ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/gzip.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget (92%): ```sh winget install --id GnuWin32.Gzip -e ``` Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: GnuWin32.Gzip from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:gzip - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.14 - **Source summary:** Popular GNU data compression program - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - gunzip (cli) - gzexe (cli) - gzip (cli) - uncompress (cli) - zcat (cli) - zcmp (cli) - zdiff (cli) - zegrep (cli) - zfgrep (cli) - zforce (cli) - zgrep (cli) - zless (cli) - zmore (cli) - znew (cli) - gunzip (alias) - gzexe (alias) - gzip (alias) - uncompress (alias) - zcat (alias) - zcmp (alias) - zdiff (alias) - zegrep (alias) - zfgrep (alias) - zforce (alias) - zgrep (alias) - zless (alias) - zmore (alias) - znew (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.14 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.gnu.org/software/gzip/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage GNU gzip is one of the canonical Unix command-line compression tools and the reference utility behind the .gz file format. It became important because it replaced the patent-burdened Unix compress program with a free software tool, a better compression ratio, and a stream-friendly format that became deeply embedded in source distribution, logs, tarballs, package systems, and network protocols. ### Project history The GNU project describes gzip as originally written by Jean-loup Gailly, with Mark Adler writing the decompression part. GNU explains the motivation plainly: gzip was developed as a replacement for compress because Unisys and IBM patents covered the LZW algorithm used by compress. The superior compression ratio was an additional benefit. The gzip format was later documented in RFC 1952 in May 1996. The RFC defines a lossless compressed data format that is CPU-, operating-system-, file-system-, and character-set-independent, can operate as a stream, provides compression comparable to strong general-purpose methods, can be implemented without the patent problems that affected compress, and is compatible with the widely used gzip utility. gzip's design is deliberately single-file and stream oriented. The separate gzip.org page summarizes that distinction: gzip refers both to the utility and to the associated compressed data format, producing files that generally use the .gz suffix. That simplicity explains why tar.gz became the default source-distribution shape: tar groups files and metadata, gzip compresses the byte stream. ### Adoption history gzip spread through GNU and Unix-like systems because it solved a legal and practical packaging problem at the same time. Source archives, FTP sites, mailing-list patches, backup scripts, log rotation, and package build systems all needed a compression utility that could be redistributed freely and used in pipelines. The supplied package facts show broad package-manager normalization: apk, Homebrew, Chocolatey, Debian, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, Scoop, Ubuntu, winget, zypper, and other ecosystems carry gzip. That ubiquity is expected for a base-system utility, but it is also historically important: package managers rely on gzip both as a package and as infrastructure for other packages' source archives, compressed metadata, and logs. ### How it is used gzip compresses and decompresses streams or single files; gunzip reverses compression; zcat writes decompressed content to standard output; and companion scripts such as zgrep, zdiff, zless, zmore, zcmp, gzexe, zforce, and znew make compressed files act more like ordinary Unix text inputs. The GNU manual covers invocation, examples, advanced use, environment behavior, tapes, and known problems. The format's streamability is why gzip is common in shell pipelines and data interchange. RFC 1952 explicitly calls out producing and consuming data streams with bounded intermediate storage, which fits Unix filters, HTTP/content encoding history, archival transfer, and ETL-style processing. ### Why package nerds care gzip is package infrastructure disguised as a small CLI. Package nerds care because .tar.gz source archives, compressed man pages, compressed logs, bootstrap environments, and source mirrors all assume gzip semantics. It is also a lesson in why legal constraints shape technical defaults: the LZW patent problem pushed free systems toward gzip, and the resulting format stuck. The gzip family also anchors comparisons with related tools. zlib provides library support for gzip streams, pigz parallelizes gzip-compatible compression, zip is a different archive format, and modern compressors such as xz, zstd, and brotli often coexist with gzip rather than replacing it outright because .gz remains universally understood. ### Timeline - Early 1990s: Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler wrote gzip as a replacement for Unix compress. - 1996: RFC 1952 documented the gzip file format specification version 4.3. - 1990s: gzip became the common compressor for tar source archives and Unix data streams. - 2000s: gzip remained part of base GNU and Unix-like toolchains while parallel and higher-ratio compressors appeared around it. - 2010s-2020s: gzip continued to be packaged across Linux distributions, BSD-adjacent package systems, macOS package managers, and Windows package ecosystems. ### Related projects - gzip is directly related to compress, the LZW-based Unix utility it replaced; tar, which commonly pairs with gzip to produce .tar.gz archives; zlib, which provides DEFLATE/gzip library support; pigz, a parallel gzip implementation; and RFC 1951 DEFLATE, the compression method carried inside the gzip wrapper. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** gzip - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - gzip - 1.13-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: gzip from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | GNU compression utilities | https://www.gnu.org/software/gzip/ - Nix - gzip: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: gzip from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix - Ubuntu apt - gzip - 1.12-1ubuntu3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: gzip from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | GNU compression utilities | https://www.gnu.org/software/gzip/ - Ubuntu apt - gzip-win32 - 1.12-1ubuntu3: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: gzip-win32 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | GNU compression utility (win32 build) | https://www.gnu.org/software/gzip/ - apk - gzip - 1.14-r2: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: gzip from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Popular data compression program | https://www.gnu.org/software/gzip/ - apk - gzip-doc - 1.14-r2: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: gzip-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Popular data compression program (documentation) | https://www.gnu.org/software/gzip/ - dnf - gzip - 1.14-2.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: gzip from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | GNU data compression program | https://www.gzip.org/ - pacman - gzip - 1.14-2: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: gzip from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz | GNU compression utility | https://www.gnu.org/software/gzip/ - zypper - gzip - 1.14-1.4: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: gzip from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | GNU Zip Compression Utilities | https://www.gnu.org/software/gzip/ - zypper - zstd-gzip - 1.5.7-4.2: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: zstd-gzip from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | zstd and zlib based gzip drop-in | https://github.com/facebook/zstd - MacPorts - gzip: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: archivers/gzip/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Chocolatey - gzip: normalized package name match | Chocolatey community package catalog: gzip from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','gpg4win-vanilla' - Scoop - main/gzip: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/gzip.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget - GnuWin32.Gzip: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: GnuWin32.Gzip from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Related links - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Archive and compression packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/archive-compression-tools/) - Matched archive or compression metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [lunzip](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lunzip/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, decompression, system. - [snzip](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/snzip/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, decompression, system. - [clzip](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clzip/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, system. - [crabz](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/crabz/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, decompression, system. - [lizard](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lizard/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, decompression, system. - [lz4](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lz4/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, decompression, system. - [lzfse](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lzfse/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, decompression, system. - [lzip](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lzip/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, compression, decompression, system. - [gnu-tar](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gnu-tar/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: archive, cli, compression, gnu, system. - [cpio](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cpio/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: archive, cli, gnu, system. - [bash](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bash/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, gnu, system. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/gzip.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/gzip.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph