After extraction (tar -xf zlib-1.2.13.tar.xz), you will find:
zlib-1.2.13/ ├── README ├── INDEX ├── ChangeLog ├── CMakeLists.txt # CMake build support ├── configure # Unix/Linux build script ├── Makefile.in ├── zlib.h # Public header ├── zconf.h ├── adler32.c, crc32.c # Checksum algorithms ├── compress.c, deflate.c, inflate.c, trees.c, etc. ├── minigzip.c, gunzip.c # Example tools ├── contrib/ # Minizip, asm, dotzlib, etc. ├── examples/ # Usage examples ├── test/ # Self-test scripts └── win32/ # Windows build files (MSVC, Makefile)
The xz suffix in zlib1213tarxz is a deliberate choice by maintainers to reduce bandwidth and storage costs. Here’s a comparison using a typical zlib source tree: zlib1213tarxz
| Format | Size (approx) | Decompression Speed | Compression Ratio (Best) |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| zlib-1.2.13.tar (uncompressed) | ~1.2 MB | N/A | N/A |
| zlib-1.2.13.tar.gz (gzip) | ~550 KB | Very Fast | Moderate |
| zlib-1.2.13.tar.xz (LZMA2) | ~380 KB | Slower | Excellent |
For a small source archive like zlib, the difference is only ~170 KB, but for larger projects (e.g., the Linux kernel), xz can save gigabytes of data transfer.
mv zlib-1.2.13.tar.xz zlib1213tarxz
Verification: Always verify the checksum. For zlib 1.2.13, the SHA-256 hash is:
b3a24de97a8fdbc835b9833169501030b8977031bcb54b3b3ac13740f846ab30
When to use: Good choice for embedding deflate compression in applications where portability, small size, and a permissive license matter.
When to be cautious: If you require newer compression features (e.g., zstd, brotli) for better compression ratio/speed trade-offs, consider those alternatives alongside zlib. After extraction ( tar -xf zlib-1
(If you want, I can extract and summarize the exact changelog entries from the tar.xz.)
Filename: zlib-1.2.13.tar.xz
Version: 1.2.13
Format: XZ-compressed tarball (.tar.xz)
Source: zlib.net
Release Date: October 13, 2022
This archive contains the source code for zlib 1.2.13, a widely used lossless data compression library. It implements the DEFLATE compression algorithm as specified in RFC 1951. The xz suffix in zlib1213tarxz is a deliberate
zlib is a widely used library for data compression. It provides a high-level interface for compressing and decompressing data using the DEFLATE algorithm, which is also used in ZIP and gzip. zlib is essential in many software applications and protocols, including HTTP, for reducing the size of data transferred over the internet.