---
name: "zfp"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "zfp"
version: "1.0.1-4+b6"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/zfp"
---

# zfp(1)

compress or expand files using the zfp algorithm

## NAME

zfp - compress or expand files using the zfp algorithm

## SYNOPSIS

**zfp** *\<options\>*

## DESCRIPTION

zfp version 1.0.0 (August 1, 2022)

### General options:

**-h** : read/write array and compression parameters from/to compressed header

**-q** : quiet mode; suppress output

**-s** : print error statistics

### Input and output:

**-i** \<path\> : uncompressed binary input file ("-" for stdin)

**-o** \<path\> : decompressed binary output file ("-" for stdout)

**-z** \<path\> : compressed input (w/o **-i**) or output file ("-" for stdin/stdout)

### Array type and dimensions (needed with -i):

**-f** : single precision (float type)

**-d** : double precision (double type)

**-t** \<i32\|i64\|f32\|f64\> : integer or floating scalar type

**-1** \<nx\> : dimensions for 1D array a\[nx\]

**-2** \<nx\> \<ny\> : dimensions for 2D array a\[ny\]\[nx\]

**-3** \<nx\> \<ny\> \<nz\> : dimensions for 3D array a\[nz\]\[ny\]\[nx\]

**-4** \<nx\> \<ny\> \<nz\> \<nw\> : dimensions for 4D array a\[nw\]\[nz\]\[ny\]\[nx\]

### Compression parameters (needed with -i):

**-R** : reversible (lossless) compression

**-r** \<rate\> : fixed rate (# compressed bits per floating-point value)

**-p** \<precision\> : fixed precision (# uncompressed bits per value)

**-a** \<tolerance\> : fixed accuracy (absolute error tolerance)

**-c** \<minbits\> \<maxbits\> \<maxprec\> \<minexp\> : advanced usage

-

  minbits : min # bits per 4^d values in d dimensions maxbits : max # bits per 4^d values in d dimensions (0 for unlimited) maxprec : max # bits of precision per value (0 for full) minexp : min bit plane # coded (**-1074** for all bit planes)

### Execution parameters:

**-x** serial : serial compression (default)

**-x** omp\[=threads\[,chunk\_size\]\] : OpenMP parallel compression

**-x** cuda : CUDA fixed rate parallel compression/decompression

## EXAMPLES

\-i file : read uncompressed file and compress to memory

\-z file : read compressed file and decompress to memory

\-i ifile -z zfile : read uncompressed ifile, write compressed zfile

\-z zfile -o ofile : read compressed zfile, write decompressed ofile

\-i ifile -o ofile : read ifile, compress, decompress, write ofile

\-i file -s : read uncompressed file, compress to memory, print stats

\-i - -o - -s : read stdin, compress, decompress, write stdout, print stats

\-f -3 100 100 100 -r 16 : 2x fixed-rate compression of 100x100x100 floats

\-d -1 1000000 -r 32 : 2x fixed-rate compression of 1M doubles

\-d -2 1000 1000 -p 32 : 32-bit precision compression of 1000x1000 doubles

\-d -1 1000000 -a 1e-9 : compression of 1M doubles with \< 1e-9 max error

\-d -1 1000000 -c 64 64 0 -1074 : 4x fixed-rate compression of 1M doubles

\-x omp=16,256 : parallel compression with 16 threads, 256-block chunks

Usage: zfp \<options\> General options:

\-h : read/write array and compression parameters from/to compressed header

\-q : quiet mode; suppress output

\-s : print error statistics

### Input and output:

\-i \<path\> : uncompressed binary input file ("-" for stdin)

\-o \<path\> : decompressed binary output file ("-" for stdout)

\-z \<path\> : compressed input (w/o -i) or output file ("-" for stdin/stdout)

### Array type and dimensions (needed with -i):

\-f : single precision (float type)

\-d : double precision (double type)

\-t \<i32\|i64\|f32\|f64\> : integer or floating scalar type

\-1 \<nx\> : dimensions for 1D array a\[nx\]

\-2 \<nx\> \<ny\> : dimensions for 2D array a\[ny\]\[nx\]

\-3 \<nx\> \<ny\> \<nz\> : dimensions for 3D array a\[nz\]\[ny\]\[nx\]

\-4 \<nx\> \<ny\> \<nz\> \<nw\> : dimensions for 4D array a\[nw\]\[nz\]\[ny\]\[nx\]

### Compression parameters (needed with -i):

\-R : reversible (lossless) compression

\-r \<rate\> : fixed rate (# compressed bits per floating-point value)

\-p \<precision\> : fixed precision (# uncompressed bits per value)

\-a \<tolerance\> : fixed accuracy (absolute error tolerance)

\-c \<minbits\> \<maxbits\> \<maxprec\> \<minexp\> : advanced usage

-

  minbits : min # bits per 4^d values in d dimensions maxbits : max # bits per 4^d values in d dimensions (0 for unlimited) maxprec : max # bits of precision per value (0 for full) minexp : min bit plane # coded (-1074 for all bit planes)

### Execution parameters:

\-x serial : serial compression (default)

\-x omp\[=threads\[,chunk\_size\]\] : OpenMP parallel compression

\-x cuda : CUDA fixed rate parallel compression/decompression

\-i file : read uncompressed file and compress to memory

\-z file : read compressed file and decompress to memory

\-i ifile -z zfile : read uncompressed ifile, write compressed zfile

\-z zfile -o ofile : read compressed zfile, write decompressed ofile

\-i ifile -o ofile : read ifile, compress, decompress, write ofile

\-i file -s : read uncompressed file, compress to memory, print stats

\-i - -o - -s : read stdin, compress, decompress, write stdout, print stats

\-f -3 100 100 100 -r 16 : 2x fixed-rate compression of 100x100x100 floats

\-d -1 1000000 -r 32 : 2x fixed-rate compression of 1M doubles

\-d -2 1000 1000 -p 32 : 32-bit precision compression of 1000x1000 doubles

\-d -1 1000000 -a 1e-9 : compression of 1M doubles with \< 1e-9 max error

\-d -1 1000000 -c 64 64 0 -1074 : 4x fixed-rate compression of 1M doubles

\-x omp=16,256 : parallel compression with 16 threads, 256-block chunks