1:mod:`zlib` --- Compression compatible with :program:`gzip`
2===========================================================
3
4.. module:: zlib
5   :synopsis: Low-level interface to compression and decompression routines
6              compatible with gzip.
7
8--------------
9
10For applications that require data compression, the functions in this module
11allow compression and decompression, using the zlib library. The zlib library
12has its own home page at http://www.zlib.net.   There are known
13incompatibilities between the Python module and versions of the zlib library
14earlier than 1.1.3; 1.1.3 has a security vulnerability, so we recommend using
151.1.4 or later.
16
17zlib's functions have many options and often need to be used in a particular
18order.  This documentation doesn't attempt to cover all of the permutations;
19consult the zlib manual at http://www.zlib.net/manual.html for authoritative
20information.
21
22For reading and writing ``.gz`` files see the :mod:`gzip` module.
23
24The available exception and functions in this module are:
25
26
27.. exception:: error
28
29   Exception raised on compression and decompression errors.
30
31
32.. function:: adler32(data[, value])
33
34   Computes an Adler-32 checksum of *data*.  (An Adler-32 checksum is almost as
35   reliable as a CRC32 but can be computed much more quickly.)  The result
36   is an unsigned 32-bit integer.  If *value* is present, it is used as
37   the starting value of the checksum; otherwise, a default value of 1
38   is used.  Passing in *value* allows computing a running checksum over the
39   concatenation of several inputs.  The algorithm is not cryptographically
40   strong, and should not be used for authentication or digital signatures.  Since
41   the algorithm is designed for use as a checksum algorithm, it is not suitable
42   for use as a general hash algorithm.
43
44   .. versionchanged:: 3.0
45      Always returns an unsigned value.
46      To generate the same numeric value across all Python versions and
47      platforms, use ``adler32(data) & 0xffffffff``.
48
49
50.. function:: compress(data, level=-1)
51
52   Compresses the bytes in *data*, returning a bytes object containing compressed data.
53   *level* is an integer from ``0`` to ``9`` or ``-1`` controlling the level of compression;
54   ``1`` (Z_BEST_SPEED) is fastest and produces the least compression, ``9`` (Z_BEST_COMPRESSION)
55   is slowest and produces the most.  ``0`` (Z_NO_COMPRESSION) is no compression.
56   The default value is ``-1`` (Z_DEFAULT_COMPRESSION).  Z_DEFAULT_COMPRESSION represents a default
57   compromise between speed and compression (currently equivalent to level 6).
58   Raises the :exc:`error` exception if any error occurs.
59
60   .. versionchanged:: 3.6
61      *level* can now be used as a keyword parameter.
62
63
64.. function:: compressobj(level=-1, method=DEFLATED, wbits=MAX_WBITS, memLevel=DEF_MEM_LEVEL, strategy=Z_DEFAULT_STRATEGY[, zdict])
65
66   Returns a compression object, to be used for compressing data streams that won't
67   fit into memory at once.
68
69   *level* is the compression level -- an integer from ``0`` to ``9`` or ``-1``.
70   A value of ``1`` (Z_BEST_SPEED) is fastest and produces the least compression,
71   while a value of ``9`` (Z_BEST_COMPRESSION) is slowest and produces the most.
72   ``0`` (Z_NO_COMPRESSION) is no compression.  The default value is ``-1`` (Z_DEFAULT_COMPRESSION).
73   Z_DEFAULT_COMPRESSION represents a default compromise between speed and compression
74   (currently equivalent to level 6).
75
76   *method* is the compression algorithm. Currently, the only supported value is
77   :const:`DEFLATED`.
78
79   The *wbits* argument controls the size of the history buffer (or the
80   "window size") used when compressing data, and whether a header and
81   trailer is included in the output.  It can take several ranges of values,
82   defaulting to ``15`` (MAX_WBITS):
83
84   * +9 to +15: The base-two logarithm of the window size, which
85     therefore ranges between 512 and 32768.  Larger values produce
86     better compression at the expense of greater memory usage.  The
87     resulting output will include a zlib-specific header and trailer.
88
89   * −9 to −15: Uses the absolute value of *wbits* as the
90     window size logarithm, while producing a raw output stream with no
91     header or trailing checksum.
92
93   * +25 to +31 = 16 + (9 to 15): Uses the low 4 bits of the value as the
94     window size logarithm, while including a basic :program:`gzip` header
95     and trailing checksum in the output.
96
97   The *memLevel* argument controls the amount of memory used for the
98   internal compression state. Valid values range from ``1`` to ``9``.
99   Higher values use more memory, but are faster and produce smaller output.
100
101   *strategy* is used to tune the compression algorithm. Possible values are
102   :const:`Z_DEFAULT_STRATEGY`, :const:`Z_FILTERED`, :const:`Z_HUFFMAN_ONLY`,
103   :const:`Z_RLE` (zlib 1.2.0.1) and :const:`Z_FIXED` (zlib 1.2.2.2).
104
105   *zdict* is a predefined compression dictionary. This is a sequence of bytes
106   (such as a :class:`bytes` object) containing subsequences that are expected
107   to occur frequently in the data that is to be compressed. Those subsequences
108   that are expected to be most common should come at the end of the dictionary.
109
110   .. versionchanged:: 3.3
111      Added the *zdict* parameter and keyword argument support.
112
113
114.. function:: crc32(data[, value])
115
116   .. index::
117      single: Cyclic Redundancy Check
118      single: checksum; Cyclic Redundancy Check
119
120   Computes a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) checksum of *data*. The
121   result is an unsigned 32-bit integer. If *value* is present, it is used
122   as the starting value of the checksum; otherwise, a default value of 0
123   is used.  Passing in *value* allows computing a running checksum over the
124   concatenation of several inputs.  The algorithm is not cryptographically
125   strong, and should not be used for authentication or digital signatures.  Since
126   the algorithm is designed for use as a checksum algorithm, it is not suitable
127   for use as a general hash algorithm.
128
129   .. versionchanged:: 3.0
130      Always returns an unsigned value.
131      To generate the same numeric value across all Python versions and
132      platforms, use ``crc32(data) & 0xffffffff``.
133
134
135.. function:: decompress(data, wbits=MAX_WBITS, bufsize=DEF_BUF_SIZE)
136
137   Decompresses the bytes in *data*, returning a bytes object containing the
138   uncompressed data.  The *wbits* parameter depends on
139   the format of *data*, and is discussed further below.
140   If *bufsize* is given, it is used as the initial size of the output
141   buffer.  Raises the :exc:`error` exception if any error occurs.
142
143   .. _decompress-wbits:
144
145   The *wbits* parameter controls the size of the history buffer
146   (or "window size"), and what header and trailer format is expected.
147   It is similar to the parameter for :func:`compressobj`, but accepts
148   more ranges of values:
149
150   * +8 to +15: The base-two logarithm of the window size.  The input
151     must include a zlib header and trailer.
152
153   * 0: Automatically determine the window size from the zlib header.
154     Only supported since zlib 1.2.3.5.
155
156   * −8 to −15: Uses the absolute value of *wbits* as the window size
157     logarithm.  The input must be a raw stream with no header or trailer.
158
159   * +24 to +31 = 16 + (8 to 15): Uses the low 4 bits of the value as
160     the window size logarithm.  The input must include a gzip header and
161     trailer.
162
163   * +40 to +47 = 32 + (8 to 15): Uses the low 4 bits of the value as
164     the window size logarithm, and automatically accepts either
165     the zlib or gzip format.
166
167   When decompressing a stream, the window size must not be smaller
168   than the size originally used to compress the stream; using a too-small
169   value may result in an :exc:`error` exception. The default *wbits* value
170   corresponds to the largest window size and requires a zlib header and
171   trailer to be included.
172
173   *bufsize* is the initial size of the buffer used to hold decompressed data.  If
174   more space is required, the buffer size will be increased as needed, so you
175   don't have to get this value exactly right; tuning it will only save a few calls
176   to :c:func:`malloc`.
177
178   .. versionchanged:: 3.6
179      *wbits* and *bufsize* can be used as keyword arguments.
180
181.. function:: decompressobj(wbits=MAX_WBITS[, zdict])
182
183   Returns a decompression object, to be used for decompressing data streams that
184   won't fit into memory at once.
185
186   The *wbits* parameter controls the size of the history buffer (or the
187   "window size"), and what header and trailer format is expected.  It has
188   the same meaning as `described for decompress() <#decompress-wbits>`__.
189
190   The *zdict* parameter specifies a predefined compression dictionary. If
191   provided, this must be the same dictionary as was used by the compressor that
192   produced the data that is to be decompressed.
193
194   .. note::
195
196      If *zdict* is a mutable object (such as a :class:`bytearray`), you must not
197      modify its contents between the call to :func:`decompressobj` and the first
198      call to the decompressor's ``decompress()`` method.
199
200   .. versionchanged:: 3.3
201      Added the *zdict* parameter.
202
203
204Compression objects support the following methods:
205
206
207.. method:: Compress.compress(data)
208
209   Compress *data*, returning a bytes object containing compressed data for at least
210   part of the data in *data*.  This data should be concatenated to the output
211   produced by any preceding calls to the :meth:`compress` method.  Some input may
212   be kept in internal buffers for later processing.
213
214
215.. method:: Compress.flush([mode])
216
217   All pending input is processed, and a bytes object containing the remaining compressed
218   output is returned.  *mode* can be selected from the constants
219   :const:`Z_NO_FLUSH`, :const:`Z_PARTIAL_FLUSH`, :const:`Z_SYNC_FLUSH`,
220   :const:`Z_FULL_FLUSH`, :const:`Z_BLOCK` (zlib 1.2.3.4), or :const:`Z_FINISH`,
221   defaulting to :const:`Z_FINISH`.  Except :const:`Z_FINISH`, all constants
222   allow compressing further bytestrings of data, while :const:`Z_FINISH` finishes the
223   compressed stream and prevents compressing any more data.  After calling :meth:`flush`
224   with *mode* set to :const:`Z_FINISH`, the :meth:`compress` method cannot be called again;
225   the only realistic action is to delete the object.
226
227
228.. method:: Compress.copy()
229
230   Returns a copy of the compression object.  This can be used to efficiently
231   compress a set of data that share a common initial prefix.
232
233
234Decompression objects support the following methods and attributes:
235
236
237.. attribute:: Decompress.unused_data
238
239   A bytes object which contains any bytes past the end of the compressed data. That is,
240   this remains ``b""`` until the last byte that contains compression data is
241   available.  If the whole bytestring turned out to contain compressed data, this is
242   ``b""``, an empty bytes object.
243
244
245.. attribute:: Decompress.unconsumed_tail
246
247   A bytes object that contains any data that was not consumed by the last
248   :meth:`decompress` call because it exceeded the limit for the uncompressed data
249   buffer.  This data has not yet been seen by the zlib machinery, so you must feed
250   it (possibly with further data concatenated to it) back to a subsequent
251   :meth:`decompress` method call in order to get correct output.
252
253
254.. attribute:: Decompress.eof
255
256   A boolean indicating whether the end of the compressed data stream has been
257   reached.
258
259   This makes it possible to distinguish between a properly-formed compressed
260   stream, and an incomplete or truncated one.
261
262   .. versionadded:: 3.3
263
264
265.. method:: Decompress.decompress(data, max_length=0)
266
267   Decompress *data*, returning a bytes object containing the uncompressed data
268   corresponding to at least part of the data in *string*.  This data should be
269   concatenated to the output produced by any preceding calls to the
270   :meth:`decompress` method.  Some of the input data may be preserved in internal
271   buffers for later processing.
272
273   If the optional parameter *max_length* is non-zero then the return value will be
274   no longer than *max_length*. This may mean that not all of the compressed input
275   can be processed; and unconsumed data will be stored in the attribute
276   :attr:`unconsumed_tail`. This bytestring must be passed to a subsequent call to
277   :meth:`decompress` if decompression is to continue.  If *max_length* is zero
278   then the whole input is decompressed, and :attr:`unconsumed_tail` is empty.
279
280   .. versionchanged:: 3.6
281      *max_length* can be used as a keyword argument.
282
283
284.. method:: Decompress.flush([length])
285
286   All pending input is processed, and a bytes object containing the remaining
287   uncompressed output is returned.  After calling :meth:`flush`, the
288   :meth:`decompress` method cannot be called again; the only realistic action is
289   to delete the object.
290
291   The optional parameter *length* sets the initial size of the output buffer.
292
293
294.. method:: Decompress.copy()
295
296   Returns a copy of the decompression object.  This can be used to save the state
297   of the decompressor midway through the data stream in order to speed up random
298   seeks into the stream at a future point.
299
300
301Information about the version of the zlib library in use is available through
302the following constants:
303
304
305.. data:: ZLIB_VERSION
306
307   The version string of the zlib library that was used for building the module.
308   This may be different from the zlib library actually used at runtime, which
309   is available as :const:`ZLIB_RUNTIME_VERSION`.
310
311
312.. data:: ZLIB_RUNTIME_VERSION
313
314   The version string of the zlib library actually loaded by the interpreter.
315
316   .. versionadded:: 3.3
317
318
319.. seealso::
320
321   Module :mod:`gzip`
322      Reading and writing :program:`gzip`\ -format files.
323
324   http://www.zlib.net
325      The zlib library home page.
326
327   http://www.zlib.net/manual.html
328      The zlib manual explains  the semantics and usage of the library's many
329      functions.
330
331