7-zip LZMA file compression

7-zip is a popular LZMA cross-platform compression algorithm. Install 7zip by package manager or download

Examples:

  • Compress: 7z a big.7z big.dat
  • Extract: 7z e big.7z
-mmt=on
enable multithreading (far faster compression)
-m0=lzma2
enable LZMA2 compression (more advanced)
-mx=3
like “fast” compression.

Example 7-zip for very large files (100s of gigabytes or terabyte-size files)

7z a -t7z -mx=3 -mmt=on -m0=lzma2  mycomp.7z *.txt

Higher compression settings might not add a lot of compression but can take vastly longer. LZIP advantages vs. 7-zip.