How to Use Gzip and Keep Original File in Linux?

Q: How do I compress a file with Gzip while keeping the original?

gzip -k option compresses the file leaving the original file intact.

Q: Can I gzip more than one file from the list ?

Yes. Perform the following command:gzip -k file1 file2 file3

Last Updated : 23 Oct, 2024

Gzip is a pretty powerful command-line tool that comes pre-installed with most Linux operating systems. Users often use it to compress files, thereby turning them into much smaller file sizes. Gzip, by default, overwrites the original file with a compressed copy of it having the .gz extension name. However, there are ways of keeping the original file intact while making a compressed copy. This tutorial shows how you can use Gzip effectively, as well as some cool ways to keep your original file intact.

Syntax

gzip [options] filename

Basic example

Generate a test file and then compress it with Gzip:

# Generate a sample file
echo "This is a sample file for Gzip compression" > sample.txt

# Compress the file
gzip sample.txt

When you issue the above commands you will notice how the original file was substituted with a compressed one, which also carried the name of the original sample.txt file in itself, with an additional part .gz attached.

Important Options and usage

Options	Description
-k, –keep	Keep the original file
-c, –stdout	Write output to standard output and keep input files unchanged
-d, –decompress	Decompress files
-r, –recursive	Compress files recursively in directories

Keeping the Original File

As we know the gzip deletes the original file and creates the gzip file. But we can create the gzip file without losing the original file We are going to see three methods of creating the gzip file without losing the original file:

Method 1: Using the -k option

gzip -k sample.txt

This will produce a compressed file sample.txt.gz while the original sample.txt unaltered

Gzip -k option output

Method 2: Using the -c option

gzip -c sample.txt > sample.txt.gz

This operation outputs the compressed result to standard output, which we redirect to a new file .

Gzip -c option output

Method 3: Utilizing shell redirection

gzip  sample.txt.gz

In this method, we obtain the same result from Method 2 through the use of input and output redirection.

Compressing Multiple Files

All files in the current directory and its subdirectories can be compressed using the following command:

gzip -r .

Gzip recursive compression output

Decompressing Files

To decompress a Gzip file:

gzip -d sample.txt.gz

Gzip decompression output

Conclusion

Gzip is a utility that assists in compressing files in Linux. Though usually it overwrites the original by replacing with the compressed one, we have explored more than a few ways to keep the original intact. Options such as -k and -c or redirects with shell give an enabling capability to compress the files without losing the originals. Choose the option that best fits your workflow and needs.