LZ77

LZ77 is a lossless data compression algorithm developed by Abraham Lempel and Jacob Ziv in 1977. It works by replacing repeated occurrences of data with references to a single copy, using a sliding window to search for matches in previously processed data. This algorithm forms the foundation for many widely used compression formats like ZIP, GZIP, and PNG.

Also known as: Lempel-Ziv 77, LZ-77, LZ77 algorithm, LZ77 compression, LZ77 coding

Why learn LZ77?

Developers should learn LZ77 when working on data compression, file archiving, or network optimization to reduce storage and bandwidth usage. It's essential for implementing efficient compression in applications like backup systems, web servers (e.g., HTTP compression), and multimedia formats, as it provides a balance of speed and compression ratio.

Learning Resources

• docs: LZ77 and LZ78 - Wikipedia
• tutorial: Data Compression with LZ77 - GeeksforGeeks
• video: LZ77 Compression Algorithm Explained - YouTube
• book: Introduction to Data Compression - Book by Khalid Sayood