BZ2 File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Extension .bz2
Format Type Compression
Compression Algorithm Burrows-Wheeler block sorting text compression algorithm and Huffman coding
MIME Type application/x-bzip2
Developed by Julian Seward
Initial Release 1996
Compression Ratio High (Better than .zip in most cases)
Open Format Yes
Multi-File Compression No (single file per .bz2 archive)
Platform Cross-Platform
File Signature BZh
Error Detection CRC-32 checksum
Maximum File Size Dependent on the platform and file system
Compression Speed Slower compared to other compression methods
Decompression Speed Relatively fast
Usability Command line and GUI tools available
Typical Use Case Highly compressing single files for storage or transmission
Licensing BSD-like license
Support for streaming Yes
Embedded Metadata No