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.NET Development
.NET Framework 3.5
GZipStream Class
This page is specific to
Microsoft Visual Studio 2008/.NET Framework 3.5

Other versions are also available for the following:
.NET Framework Class Library
GZipStream Class

Updated: November 2007

Provides methods and properties used to compress and decompress streams.

Namespace:  System.IO.Compression
Assembly:  System (in System.dll)

Visual Basic (Declaration)
Public Class GZipStream _
    Inherits Stream
Visual Basic (Usage)
Dim instance As GZipStream
C#
public class GZipStream : Stream
Visual C++
public ref class GZipStream : public Stream
J#
public class GZipStream extends Stream
JScript
public class GZipStream extends Stream

This class represents the gzip data format, which uses an industry standard algorithm for lossless file compression and decompression. The format includes a cyclic redundancy check value for detecting data corruption. The gzip data format uses the same algorithm as the DeflateStream class, but can be extended to use other compression formats. The format can be readily implemented in a manner not covered by patents. The format for gzip is available from the RFC 1952, "GZIP file format specification 4.3." This class cannot be used to compress files larger than 4 GB.

Compressed GZipStream objects written to a file with an extension of .gz can be decompressed using many common compression tools; however, this class does not inherently provide functionality for adding files to or extracting files from .zip archives. For an example of compressing and decompressing files in the gzip data format, see Compression Application Sample.

The compression functionality in DeflateStream and GZipStream is exposed as a stream. Data is read in on a byte-by-byte basis, so it is not possible to perform multiple passes to determine the best method for compressing entire files or large blocks of data. The DeflateStream and GZipStream classes are best used on uncompressed sources of data. If the source data is already compressed, using these classes may actually increase the size of the stream.

Notes to Inheritors:

When you inherit from GZipStream, you must override the following members: CanSeek, CanWrite, and CanRead.

The following code example shows how to use the GZipStream class to compress and decompress a file.

Visual Basic
Imports System
Imports System.IO
Imports System.IO.Compression



Public Class GZipTest
    Shared msg As String
    Private Const buffer_size As Integer = 100

    Public Shared Function ReadAllBytesFromStream(ByVal stream As Stream, ByVal buffer() As Byte) As Integer
        ' Use this method is used to read all bytes from a stream.
        Dim offset As Integer = 0
        Dim totalCount As Integer = 0
        While True
            Dim bytesRead As Integer = stream.Read(buffer, offset, buffer_size)
            If bytesRead = 0 Then
                Exit While
            End If
            offset += bytesRead
            totalCount += bytesRead
        End While
        Return totalCount
    End Function 'ReadAllBytesFromStream


    Public Shared Function CompareData(ByVal buf1() As Byte, ByVal len1 As Integer, ByVal buf2() As Byte, ByVal len2 As Integer) As Boolean
        ' Use this method to compare data from two different buffers.
        If len1 <> len2 Then
            msg = "Number of bytes in two buffer are different" & len1 & ":" & len2
            MsgBox(msg)
            Return False
        End If

        Dim i As Integer
        For i = 0 To len1 - 1
            If buf1(i) <> buf2(i) Then
                msg = "byte " & i & " is different " & buf1(i) & "|" & buf2(i)
                MsgBox(msg)
                Return False
            End If
        Next i
        msg = "All bytes compare."
        MsgBox(msg)
        Return True
    End Function 'CompareData


    Public Shared Sub GZipCompressDecompress(ByVal filename As String)
        msg = "Test compression and decompression on file " & filename
        MsgBox(msg)

        Dim infile As FileStream
        Try
            ' Open the file as a FileStream object.
            infile = New FileStream(filename, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read, FileShare.Read)
            Dim buffer(infile.Length - 1) As Byte
            ' Read the file to ensure it is readable.
            Dim count As Integer = infile.Read(buffer, 0, buffer.Length)
            If count <> buffer.Length Then
                infile.Close()
                msg = "Test Failed: Unable to read data from file"
                MsgBox(msg)
                Return
            End If
            infile.Close()
            Dim ms As New MemoryStream()
            ' Use the newly created memory stream for the compressed data.
            Dim compressedzipStream As New GZipStream(ms, CompressionMode.Compress, True)
            compressedzipStream.Write(buffer, 0, buffer.Length)
            ' Close the stream.
            compressedzipStream.Close()

            msg = "Original size: " & buffer.Length & ", Compressed size: " & ms.Length
            MsgBox(msg)

            ' Reset the memory stream position to begin decompression.
            ms.Position = 0
            Dim zipStream As New GZipStream(ms, CompressionMode.Decompress)
            Dim decompressedBuffer(buffer.Length + buffer_size) As Byte
            ' Use the ReadAllBytesFromStream to read the stream.
            Dim totalCount As Integer = GZipTest.ReadAllBytesFromStream(zipStream, decompressedBuffer)
            msg = "Decompressed " & totalCount & " bytes"
            MsgBox(msg)

            If Not GZipTest.CompareData(buffer, buffer.Length, decompressedBuffer, totalCount) Then
                msg = "Error. The two buffers did not compare."
                MsgBox(msg)

            End If
            zipStream.Close()
        Catch e As Exception
            msg = "Error: The file being read contains invalid data."
            MsgBox(msg)
        End Try

    End Sub 'GZipCompressDecompress

    Public Shared Sub Main(ByVal args() As String)
        Dim usageText As String = "Usage: GZIPTEST <inputfilename>"
        'If no file name is specified, write usage text.
        If args.Length = 0 Then
            Console.WriteLine(usageText)
        Else
            If File.Exists(args(0)) Then
                GZipCompressDecompress(args(0))
            End If
        End If
    End Sub 'Main
End Class 'GZipTest 

C#
using System;
using System.IO;
using System.IO.Compression;

public class GZipTest
{
    private const int buffer_size = 100;

    public static int ReadAllBytesFromStream(Stream stream, byte[] buffer)
    {
        // Use this method is used to read all bytes from a stream.
        int offset = 0;
        int totalCount = 0;
        while (true)
        {
            int bytesRead = stream.Read(buffer, offset, buffer_size);
            if (bytesRead == 0)
            {
                break;
            }
            offset += bytesRead;
            totalCount += bytesRead;
        }
        return totalCount;
    }

    public static bool CompareData(byte[] buf1, int len1, byte[] buf2, int len2)
    {
        // Use this method to compare data from two different buffers.
        if (len1 != len2)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Number of bytes in two buffer are different {0}:{1}", len1, len2);
            return false;
        }

        for (int i = 0; i < len1; i++)
        {
            if (buf1[i] != buf2[i])
            {
                Console.WriteLine("byte {0} is different {1}|{2}", i, buf1[i], buf2[i]);
                return false;
            }
        }
        Console.WriteLine("All bytes compare.");
        return true;
    }

    public static void GZipCompressDecompress(string filename)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Test compression and decompression on file {0}", filename);
        FileStream infile;
        try
        {
            // Open the file as a FileStream object.
            infile = new FileStream(filename, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read, FileShare.Read);
            byte[] buffer = new byte[infile.Length];
            // Read the file to ensure it is readable.
            int count = infile.Read(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);
            if (count != buffer.Length)
            {
                infile.Close();
                Console.WriteLine("Test Failed: Unable to read data from file");
                return;
            }
            infile.Close();
            MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream();
            // Use the newly created memory stream for the compressed data.
            GZipStream compressedzipStream = new GZipStream(ms, CompressionMode.Compress, true);
            Console.WriteLine("Compression");
            compressedzipStream.Write(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);
            // Close the stream.
            compressedzipStream.Close();
            Console.WriteLine("Original size: {0}, Compressed size: {1}", buffer.Length, ms.Length);

            // Reset the memory stream position to begin decompression.
            ms.Position = 0;
            GZipStream zipStream = new GZipStream(ms, CompressionMode.Decompress);
            Console.WriteLine("Decompression");
            byte[] decompressedBuffer = new byte[buffer.Length + buffer_size];
            // Use the ReadAllBytesFromStream to read the stream.
            int totalCount = GZipTest.ReadAllBytesFromStream(zipStream, decompressedBuffer);
            Console.WriteLine("Decompressed {0} bytes", totalCount);

            if (!GZipTest.CompareData(buffer, buffer.Length, decompressedBuffer, totalCount))
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Error. The two buffers did not compare.");
            }
            zipStream.Close();
        } // end try
        catch (InvalidDataException)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: The file being read contains invalid data.");
        }
        catch (FileNotFoundException)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Error:The file specified was not found.");
        }
        catch (ArgumentException)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: path is a zero-length string, contains only white space, or contains one or more invalid characters");
        }
        catch (PathTooLongException)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: The specified path, file name, or both exceed the system-defined maximum length. For example, on Windows-based platforms, paths must be less than 248 characters, and file names must be less than 260 characters.");
        }
        catch (DirectoryNotFoundException)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: The specified path is invalid, such as being on an unmapped drive.");
        }
        catch (IOException)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: An I/O error occurred while opening the file.");
        }
        catch (UnauthorizedAccessException)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: path specified a file that is read-only, the path is a directory, or caller does not have the required permissions.");
        }
        catch (IndexOutOfRangeException)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: You must provide parameters for MyGZIP.");
        }
    }

    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        string usageText = "Usage: MYGZIP <inputfilename>";
        //If no file name is specified, write usage text.
        if (args.Length == 0)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(usageText);
        }
        else
        {
            if (File.Exists(args[0]))
                GZipCompressDecompress(args[0]);
        }
    }
}
    

Visual C++
#using <System.dll>

using namespace System;
using namespace System::IO;
using namespace System::IO::Compression;
int ReadAllBytesFromStream( Stream^ stream, array<Byte>^buffer )
{

   // Use this method is used to read all bytes from a stream.
   int offset = 0;
   int totalCount = 0;
   for ( ; ;  )
   {
      int bytesRead = stream->Read( buffer, offset, 100 );
      if ( bytesRead == 0 )
      {
         break;
      }

      offset += bytesRead;
      totalCount += bytesRead;

   }
   return totalCount;
}

bool CompareData( array<Byte>^buf1, int len1, array<Byte>^buf2, int len2 )
{

   // Use this method to compare data from two different buffers.
   if ( len1 != len2 )
   {
      Console::WriteLine( "Number of bytes in two buffer are different {0}:{1}", len1, len2 );
      return false;
   }

   for ( int i = 0; i < len1; i++ )
   {
      if ( buf1[ i ] != buf2[ i ] )
      {
         Console::WriteLine( "byte {0} is different {1}|{2}", i, buf1[ i ], buf2[ i ] );
         return false;
      }

   }
   Console::WriteLine( "All bytes compare." );
   return true;
}

void GZipCompressDecompress( String^ filename )
{
   Console::WriteLine( "Test compression and decompression on file {0}", filename );
   FileStream^ infile;
   try
   {

      // Open the file as a FileStream object.
      infile = gcnew FileStream( filename,FileMode::Open,FileAccess::Read,FileShare::Read );
      array<Byte>^buffer = gcnew array<Byte>((int)infile->Length);

      // Read the file to ensure it is readable.
      int count = infile->Read( buffer, 0, buffer->Length );
      if ( count != buffer->Length )
      {
         infile->Close();
         Console::WriteLine( "Test Failed: Unable to read data from file" );
         return;
      }
      infile->Close();
      MemoryStream^ ms = gcnew MemoryStream;

      // Use the newly created memory stream for the compressed data.
      GZipStream ^ compressedzipStream = gcnew GZipStream( ms,CompressionMode::Compress,true );
      Console::WriteLine( "Compression" );
      compressedzipStream->Write( buffer, 0, buffer->Length );

      // Close the stream.
      compressedzipStream->Close();
      Console::WriteLine( "Original size: {0}, Compressed size: {1}", buffer->Length, ms->Length );

      // Reset the memory stream position to begin decompression.
      ms->Position = 0;
      GZipStream ^ zipStream = gcnew GZipStream( ms,CompressionMode::Decompress );
      Console::WriteLine( "Decompression" );
      array<Byte>^decompressedBuffer = gcnew array<Byte>(buffer->Length + 100);

      // Use the ReadAllBytesFromStream to read the stream.
      int totalCount = ReadAllBytesFromStream( zipStream, decompressedBuffer );
      Console::WriteLine( "Decompressed {0} bytes", totalCount );
      if (  !CompareData( buffer, buffer->Length, decompressedBuffer, totalCount ) )
      {
         Console::WriteLine( "Error. The two buffers did not compare." );
      }
      zipStream->Close();
   }
   catch ( InvalidDataException ^ ) 
   {
      Console::WriteLine( "Error: The file being read contains invalid data." );
   }
   catch ( FileNotFoundException^ ) 
   {
      Console::WriteLine( "Error:The file specified was not found." );
   }
   catch ( ArgumentException^ ) 
   {
      Console::WriteLine( "Error: path is a zero-length string, contains only white space, or contains one or more invalid characters" );
   }
   catch ( PathTooLongException^ ) 
   {
      Console::WriteLine( "Error: The specified path, file name, or both exceed the system-defined maximum length."
      " For example, on Windows-based platforms, paths must be less than 248 characters, and file names must be less than 260 characters." );
   }
   catch ( DirectoryNotFoundException^ ) 
   {
      Console::WriteLine( "Error: The specified path is invalid, such as being on an unmapped drive." );
   }
   catch ( IOException^ ) 
   {
      Console::WriteLine( "Error: An I/O error occurred while opening the file." );
   }
   catch ( UnauthorizedAccessException^ ) 
   {
      Console::WriteLine( "Error: path specified a file that is read-only, the path is a directory, or caller does not have the required permissions." );
   }
   catch ( IndexOutOfRangeException^ ) 
   {
      Console::WriteLine( "Error: You must provide parameters for MyGZIP." );
   }

}

int main()
{
   array<String^>^args = Environment::GetCommandLineArgs();
   String^ usageText = "Usage: MYGZIP <inputfilename>";

   //If no file name is specified, write usage text.
   if ( args->Length == 1 )
   {
      Console::WriteLine( usageText );
   }
   else
   {
      if ( File::Exists( args[ 1 ] ) )
            GZipCompressDecompress( args[ 1 ] );
   }
}


J#
import System.*;
import System.IO.*;
import System.IO.Compression.*;

public class GZipTest
{
    public static int ReadAllBytesFromStream(Stream stream, ubyte buffer[])
    {
        // Use this method is used to read all bytes from a stream.
        int offSet = 0;
        int totalCount = 0;
        while (true) {
            int bytesRead = stream.Read(buffer, offSet, 100);
            if (bytesRead == 0) {
                break;
            }
            offSet += bytesRead;
            totalCount += bytesRead;
        }
        return totalCount;
    } //ReadAllBytesFromStream

    public static boolean CompareData(ubyte buf1[], int len1, 
        ubyte buf2[], int len2)
    {
        // Use this method to compare data from two different buffers.
        if (len1 != len2) {
            Console.WriteLine("Number of bytes in two buffer are "
                + "different {0}:{1}", System.Convert.ToString(len1), 
                System.Convert.ToString(len2));
            return false;
        }
        for (int i = 0; i < len1; i++) {
            if (!(buf1.get_Item(i).Equals(buf2.get_Item(i)))) {
                Console.WriteLine("byte {0} is different {1}|{2}", 
                    System.Convert.ToString(i), 
                    System.Convert.ToString(buf1.get_Item(i)), 
                    System.Convert.ToString(buf2.get_Item(i)));
                return false;
            }
        }
        Console.WriteLine("All bytes compare.");
        return true;
    } //CompareData

    public static void GZipCompressDecompress(String fileName)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Test compression and decompression on file {0}",
            fileName);
        FileStream inFile;
        try {
            // Open the file as a FileStream object.
            inFile = new FileStream(fileName, FileMode.Open, 
                FileAccess.Read, FileShare.Read);
            ubyte buffer[] = new ubyte[(ubyte)inFile.get_Length()];

            // Read the file to ensure it is readable.
            int count = inFile.Read(buffer, 0, buffer.length);
            if (count != buffer.length) {
                inFile.Close();
                Console.WriteLine("Test Failed: Unable to read data from file");
                return;
            }
            inFile.Close();
            MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream();

            // Use the newly created memory stream for the compressed data.
            GZipStream compressedZipStream = 
                new GZipStream(ms, CompressionMode.Compress, true);
            Console.WriteLine("Compression");
            compressedZipStream.Write(buffer, 0, buffer.length);

            // Close the stream.
            compressedZipStream.Close();
            Console.WriteLine("Original size: {0}, Compressed size: {1}", 
                System.Convert.ToString(buffer.length), 
                System.Convert.ToString(ms.get_Length()));

            // Reset the memory stream position to begin decompression.
            ms.set_Position(0);
            GZipStream zipStream = 
                new GZipStream(ms, CompressionMode.Decompress);
            Console.WriteLine("Decompression");
            ubyte decompressedBuffer[] = new ubyte[buffer.length + 100];

            // Use the ReadAllBytesFromStream to read the stream.
            int totalCount = GZipTest.ReadAllBytesFromStream(zipStream, 
                decompressedBuffer);
            Console.WriteLine("Decompressed {0} bytes", 
                System.Convert.ToString(totalCount));
            if (!(GZipTest.CompareData(buffer, buffer.length, 
                decompressedBuffer, totalCount))) {
                Console.WriteLine("Error. The two buffers did not compare.");
            }
            zipStream.Close();
        } 
        catch (InvalidDataException exp) {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: The file being read contains"
                + " invalid data.");
        }
        catch (FileNotFoundException exp) {
            Console.WriteLine("Error:The file specified was not found.");
        }
        catch (ArgumentException exp) {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: path is a zero-length string, contains "
                + "only white space, or contains one or more invalid characters");
        }
        catch (PathTooLongException exp) {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: The specified path, file name, or both "
                + "exceed the system-defined maximum length. For example, on"
                + " Windows-based platforms, paths must be less than 248 "
                + "characters, and file names must be less than 260 characters.");
        }
        catch (DirectoryNotFoundException exp) {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: The specified path is invalid, such"
                + " as being on an unmapped drive.");
        }
        catch (IOException exp) {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: An I/O error occurred while "
                + "opening the file.");
        }
        catch (UnauthorizedAccessException exp) {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: path specified a file that is read-only,"
                + " the path is a directory, or caller does not have"
                + " the required permissions.");
        }
        catch (IndexOutOfRangeException exp) {
            Console.WriteLine("Error: You must provide parameters for MyGZIP.");
        }
    } //GZipCompressDecompress

    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        String usageText = "Usage: MYGZIP <inputfilename>";

        //If no file name is specified, write usage text.
        if (args.length == 0) {
            Console.WriteLine(usageText);
        }
        else {
            if (File.Exists(args[0])) {
                GZipCompressDecompress(args[0]);
            }
        }
    } //main
} //GZipTest

System..::.Object
  System..::.MarshalByRefObject
    System.IO..::.Stream
      System.IO.Compression..::.GZipStream
Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.

Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98, Windows CE, Windows Mobile for Smartphone, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC

The .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework do not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

.NET Framework

Supported in: 3.5, 3.0, 2.0

.NET Compact Framework

Supported in: 3.5
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one of the worst/unintuitive example code i've read...      Mythz   |   Edit   |  
You really should put this through some kind of QA process.
The API is also badly designed, why aren't there two different classes GZipStream/GUnzipStream??

Anyways after having gone through the examples on the web and using them to work out exactly how to use this thing, i've come up with this:

public class GZipTest
{
public static byte[] Compress(byte[] uncompressedBuffer)
{
using (MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream())
{
using (GZipStream gzip = new GZipStream(ms, CompressionMode.Compress, true))
{
gzip.Write(uncompressedBuffer, 0, uncompressedBuffer.Length);
}
byte[] compressedBuffer = ms.ToArray();
return compressedBuffer;
}
}

public static byte[] Decompress(byte[] compressedBuffer)
{
using (GZipStream gzip = new GZipStream(new MemoryStream(compressedBuffer), CompressionMode.Decompress))
{
byte[] uncompressedBuffer = ReadAllBytes(gzip);
return uncompressedBuffer;
}
}

private static byte[] ReadAllBytes(Stream stream)
{
byte[] buffer = new byte[4096];
using (MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream())
{
int bytesRead = 0;
do
{
bytesRead = stream.Read(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);
if (bytesRead > 0)
{
ms.Write(buffer, 0, bytesRead);
}
} while (bytesRead > 0);

return ms.ToArray();
}
}
}

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Nice...a slight suggestion      G1   |   Edit   |  

Sweet!

I would leave optimization to the compiler, myself, and not bother with buffering the ReadAllBytes method...laziness. (and create a ToArray() or ToMemoryStream() extension method on Stream, itself. Extension methods really help plug some huge holes!

const int EndOfStream = -1;
private static byte[] ReadAllBytes(Stream stream)
{
using (var ms = new MemoryStream())
{
for (int b = stream.ReadByte(); b != EndOfStream; b = stream.ReadByte())
ms.WriteByte((byte) b);
return ms.ToArray();
}
}

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