The Linux gzip command is a powerful utility used to compress files, reducing their size to save disk space and make file transfers more efficient. It uses the Gzip (GNU zip) compression algorithm, replacing the original file with a .gz version. For example, running gzip file.txt creates file.txt.gz, which is smaller in size.
gzip is easy to use and includes options for customization, like keeping the original file (gzip -k file.txt) or compressing multiple files at once. It’s widely used in Linux for archiving, backups, and optimizing file storage, making it an essential tool for system administrators and developers.