Using pigz Command (with examples)

Compress a file with default options

Code: pigz path/to/file

Motivation: Compressing a file can help reduce its size, making it easier to store and transfer. Using the default options of pigz allows for a straightforward compression process.

Explanation:

• path/to/file: Specifies the path of the file to be compressed.

Example output: The file path/to/file will be compressed using default options and saved as path/to/file.gz.

Compress a file using the best compression method

Code: pigz -9 path/to/file

Motivation: When compressing important files, it’s often desired to achieve the highest level of compression possible to save as much space as feasible. By using the -9 option, pigz will utilize the best compression method available.

Explanation:

• -9: Specifies the highest compression level.

Example output: The file path/to/file will be compressed with the highest compression level and saved as path/to/file.gz.

Compress a file using no compression and 4 processors

Code: pigz -0 -p4 path/to/file

Motivation: Sometimes it is necessary to compress a file quickly without applying any compression. Using the -0 option, pigz will avoid compressing the file while utilizing multiple processors, reducing the compression time.

Explanation:

• -0: Disables compression.
• -p4: Specifies the number of processors to utilize during compression (in this case, 4 processors).

Example output: The file path/to/file will be quickly compressed without any compression applied and saved as path/to/file.gz.

Compress a directory using tar

Code: tar cf - path/to/directory | pigz > path/to/file.tar.gz

Motivation: Archiving and compressing a directory can be helpful when bundling multiple files together and reducing their collective size. Using tar to create an archive and pipe it to pigz allows for the creation of a compressed tarball.

Explanation:

• tar cf - path/to/directory: Creates a tar archive of path/to/directory and outputs it to stdout.
• |: Pipes the output from the previous command.
• pigz > path/to/file.tar.gz: Compresses the piped output using pigz and saves it as path/to/file.tar.gz.

Example output: The directory path/to/directory will be archived and compressed using pigz, resulting in a tarball file saved as path/to/file.tar.gz.

Decompress a file

Code: pigz -d archive.gz

Motivation: Decompressing a file is necessary when accessing or extracting the original contents. By specifying the -d option, pigz will decompress the file back to its original form.

Explanation:

• -d: Decompresses the file.

Example output: The file archive.gz will be decompressed, resulting in the original file being restored.

List the contents of an archive

Code: pigz -l archive.tar.gz

Motivation: Sometimes it is useful to know the contents of an archived file without having to extract it. The -l option allows pigz to list the contents of a tar.gz archive.

Explanation:

• -l: Lists the contents of the archived file.

Example output: The command will display a list of filenames within the archive.tar.gz file.