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1:mod:`lzma` --- Compression using the LZMA algorithm
2====================================================
3
4.. module:: lzma
5   :synopsis: A Python wrapper for the liblzma compression library.
6
7.. moduleauthor:: Nadeem Vawda <nadeem.vawda@gmail.com>
8.. sectionauthor:: Nadeem Vawda <nadeem.vawda@gmail.com>
9
10.. versionadded:: 3.3
11
12**Source code:** :source:`Lib/lzma.py`
13
14--------------
15
16This module provides classes and convenience functions for compressing and
17decompressing data using the LZMA compression algorithm. Also included is a file
18interface supporting the ``.xz`` and legacy ``.lzma`` file formats used by the
19:program:`xz` utility, as well as raw compressed streams.
20
21The interface provided by this module is very similar to that of the :mod:`bz2`
22module. Note that :class:`LZMAFile` and :class:`bz2.BZ2File` are *not*
23thread-safe, so if you need to use a single :class:`LZMAFile` instance
24from multiple threads, it is necessary to protect it with a lock.
25
26
27.. exception:: LZMAError
28
29   This exception is raised when an error occurs during compression or
30   decompression, or while initializing the compressor/decompressor state.
31
32
33Reading and writing compressed files
34------------------------------------
35
36.. function:: open(filename, mode="rb", *, format=None, check=-1, preset=None, filters=None, encoding=None, errors=None, newline=None)
37
38   Open an LZMA-compressed file in binary or text mode, returning a :term:`file
39   object`.
40
41   The *filename* argument can be either an actual file name (given as a
42   :class:`str`, :class:`bytes` or :term:`path-like <path-like object>` object), in
43   which case the named file is opened, or it can be an existing file object
44   to read from or write to.
45
46   The *mode* argument can be any of ``"r"``, ``"rb"``, ``"w"``, ``"wb"``,
47   ``"x"``, ``"xb"``, ``"a"`` or ``"ab"`` for binary mode, or ``"rt"``,
48   ``"wt"``, ``"xt"``, or ``"at"`` for text mode. The default is ``"rb"``.
49
50   When opening a file for reading, the *format* and *filters* arguments have
51   the same meanings as for :class:`LZMADecompressor`. In this case, the *check*
52   and *preset* arguments should not be used.
53
54   When opening a file for writing, the *format*, *check*, *preset* and
55   *filters* arguments have the same meanings as for :class:`LZMACompressor`.
56
57   For binary mode, this function is equivalent to the :class:`LZMAFile`
58   constructor: ``LZMAFile(filename, mode, ...)``. In this case, the *encoding*,
59   *errors* and *newline* arguments must not be provided.
60
61   For text mode, a :class:`LZMAFile` object is created, and wrapped in an
62   :class:`io.TextIOWrapper` instance with the specified encoding, error
63   handling behavior, and line ending(s).
64
65   .. versionchanged:: 3.4
66      Added support for the ``"x"``, ``"xb"`` and ``"xt"`` modes.
67
68   .. versionchanged:: 3.6
69      Accepts a :term:`path-like object`.
70
71
72.. class:: LZMAFile(filename=None, mode="r", *, format=None, check=-1, preset=None, filters=None)
73
74   Open an LZMA-compressed file in binary mode.
75
76   An :class:`LZMAFile` can wrap an already-open :term:`file object`, or operate
77   directly on a named file. The *filename* argument specifies either the file
78   object to wrap, or the name of the file to open (as a :class:`str`,
79   :class:`bytes` or :term:`path-like <path-like object>` object). When wrapping an
80   existing file object, the wrapped file will not be closed when the
81   :class:`LZMAFile` is closed.
82
83   The *mode* argument can be either ``"r"`` for reading (default), ``"w"`` for
84   overwriting, ``"x"`` for exclusive creation, or ``"a"`` for appending. These
85   can equivalently be given as ``"rb"``, ``"wb"``, ``"xb"`` and ``"ab"``
86   respectively.
87
88   If *filename* is a file object (rather than an actual file name), a mode of
89   ``"w"`` does not truncate the file, and is instead equivalent to ``"a"``.
90
91   When opening a file for reading, the input file may be the concatenation of
92   multiple separate compressed streams. These are transparently decoded as a
93   single logical stream.
94
95   When opening a file for reading, the *format* and *filters* arguments have
96   the same meanings as for :class:`LZMADecompressor`. In this case, the *check*
97   and *preset* arguments should not be used.
98
99   When opening a file for writing, the *format*, *check*, *preset* and
100   *filters* arguments have the same meanings as for :class:`LZMACompressor`.
101
102   :class:`LZMAFile` supports all the members specified by
103   :class:`io.BufferedIOBase`, except for :meth:`detach` and :meth:`truncate`.
104   Iteration and the :keyword:`with` statement are supported.
105
106   The following method is also provided:
107
108   .. method:: peek(size=-1)
109
110      Return buffered data without advancing the file position. At least one
111      byte of data will be returned, unless EOF has been reached. The exact
112      number of bytes returned is unspecified (the *size* argument is ignored).
113
114      .. note:: While calling :meth:`peek` does not change the file position of
115         the :class:`LZMAFile`, it may change the position of the underlying
116         file object (e.g. if the :class:`LZMAFile` was constructed by passing a
117         file object for *filename*).
118
119   .. versionchanged:: 3.4
120      Added support for the ``"x"`` and ``"xb"`` modes.
121
122   .. versionchanged:: 3.5
123      The :meth:`~io.BufferedIOBase.read` method now accepts an argument of
124      ``None``.
125
126   .. versionchanged:: 3.6
127      Accepts a :term:`path-like object`.
128
129
130Compressing and decompressing data in memory
131--------------------------------------------
132
133.. class:: LZMACompressor(format=FORMAT_XZ, check=-1, preset=None, filters=None)
134
135   Create a compressor object, which can be used to compress data incrementally.
136
137   For a more convenient way of compressing a single chunk of data, see
138   :func:`compress`.
139
140   The *format* argument specifies what container format should be used.
141   Possible values are:
142
143   * :const:`FORMAT_XZ`: The ``.xz`` container format.
144      This is the default format.
145
146   * :const:`FORMAT_ALONE`: The legacy ``.lzma`` container format.
147      This format is more limited than ``.xz`` -- it does not support integrity
148      checks or multiple filters.
149
150   * :const:`FORMAT_RAW`: A raw data stream, not using any container format.
151      This format specifier does not support integrity checks, and requires that
152      you always specify a custom filter chain (for both compression and
153      decompression). Additionally, data compressed in this manner cannot be
154      decompressed using :const:`FORMAT_AUTO` (see :class:`LZMADecompressor`).
155
156   The *check* argument specifies the type of integrity check to include in the
157   compressed data. This check is used when decompressing, to ensure that the
158   data has not been corrupted. Possible values are:
159
160   * :const:`CHECK_NONE`: No integrity check.
161     This is the default (and the only acceptable value) for
162     :const:`FORMAT_ALONE` and :const:`FORMAT_RAW`.
163
164   * :const:`CHECK_CRC32`: 32-bit Cyclic Redundancy Check.
165
166   * :const:`CHECK_CRC64`: 64-bit Cyclic Redundancy Check.
167     This is the default for :const:`FORMAT_XZ`.
168
169   * :const:`CHECK_SHA256`: 256-bit Secure Hash Algorithm.
170
171   If the specified check is not supported, an :class:`LZMAError` is raised.
172
173   The compression settings can be specified either as a preset compression
174   level (with the *preset* argument), or in detail as a custom filter chain
175   (with the *filters* argument).
176
177   The *preset* argument (if provided) should be an integer between ``0`` and
178   ``9`` (inclusive), optionally OR-ed with the constant
179   :const:`PRESET_EXTREME`. If neither *preset* nor *filters* are given, the
180   default behavior is to use :const:`PRESET_DEFAULT` (preset level ``6``).
181   Higher presets produce smaller output, but make the compression process
182   slower.
183
184   .. note::
185
186      In addition to being more CPU-intensive, compression with higher presets
187      also requires much more memory (and produces output that needs more memory
188      to decompress). With preset ``9`` for example, the overhead for an
189      :class:`LZMACompressor` object can be as high as 800 MiB. For this reason,
190      it is generally best to stick with the default preset.
191
192   The *filters* argument (if provided) should be a filter chain specifier.
193   See :ref:`filter-chain-specs` for details.
194
195   .. method:: compress(data)
196
197      Compress *data* (a :class:`bytes` object), returning a :class:`bytes`
198      object containing compressed data for at least part of the input. Some of
199      *data* may be buffered internally, for use in later calls to
200      :meth:`compress` and :meth:`flush`. The returned data should be
201      concatenated with the output of any previous calls to :meth:`compress`.
202
203   .. method:: flush()
204
205      Finish the compression process, returning a :class:`bytes` object
206      containing any data stored in the compressor's internal buffers.
207
208      The compressor cannot be used after this method has been called.
209
210
211.. class:: LZMADecompressor(format=FORMAT_AUTO, memlimit=None, filters=None)
212
213   Create a decompressor object, which can be used to decompress data
214   incrementally.
215
216   For a more convenient way of decompressing an entire compressed stream at
217   once, see :func:`decompress`.
218
219   The *format* argument specifies the container format that should be used. The
220   default is :const:`FORMAT_AUTO`, which can decompress both ``.xz`` and
221   ``.lzma`` files. Other possible values are :const:`FORMAT_XZ`,
222   :const:`FORMAT_ALONE`, and :const:`FORMAT_RAW`.
223
224   The *memlimit* argument specifies a limit (in bytes) on the amount of memory
225   that the decompressor can use. When this argument is used, decompression will
226   fail with an :class:`LZMAError` if it is not possible to decompress the input
227   within the given memory limit.
228
229   The *filters* argument specifies the filter chain that was used to create
230   the stream being decompressed. This argument is required if *format* is
231   :const:`FORMAT_RAW`, but should not be used for other formats.
232   See :ref:`filter-chain-specs` for more information about filter chains.
233
234   .. note::
235      This class does not transparently handle inputs containing multiple
236      compressed streams, unlike :func:`decompress` and :class:`LZMAFile`. To
237      decompress a multi-stream input with :class:`LZMADecompressor`, you must
238      create a new decompressor for each stream.
239
240   .. method:: decompress(data, max_length=-1)
241
242      Decompress *data* (a :term:`bytes-like object`), returning
243      uncompressed data as bytes. Some of *data* may be buffered
244      internally, for use in later calls to :meth:`decompress`. The
245      returned data should be concatenated with the output of any
246      previous calls to :meth:`decompress`.
247
248      If *max_length* is nonnegative, returns at most *max_length*
249      bytes of decompressed data. If this limit is reached and further
250      output can be produced, the :attr:`~.needs_input` attribute will
251      be set to ``False``. In this case, the next call to
252      :meth:`~.decompress` may provide *data* as ``b''`` to obtain
253      more of the output.
254
255      If all of the input data was decompressed and returned (either
256      because this was less than *max_length* bytes, or because
257      *max_length* was negative), the :attr:`~.needs_input` attribute
258      will be set to ``True``.
259
260      Attempting to decompress data after the end of stream is reached
261      raises an `EOFError`.  Any data found after the end of the
262      stream is ignored and saved in the :attr:`~.unused_data` attribute.
263
264      .. versionchanged:: 3.5
265         Added the *max_length* parameter.
266
267   .. attribute:: check
268
269      The ID of the integrity check used by the input stream. This may be
270      :const:`CHECK_UNKNOWN` until enough of the input has been decoded to
271      determine what integrity check it uses.
272
273   .. attribute:: eof
274
275      ``True`` if the end-of-stream marker has been reached.
276
277   .. attribute:: unused_data
278
279      Data found after the end of the compressed stream.
280
281      Before the end of the stream is reached, this will be ``b""``.
282
283   .. attribute:: needs_input
284
285      ``False`` if the :meth:`.decompress` method can provide more
286      decompressed data before requiring new uncompressed input.
287
288      .. versionadded:: 3.5
289
290.. function:: compress(data, format=FORMAT_XZ, check=-1, preset=None, filters=None)
291
292   Compress *data* (a :class:`bytes` object), returning the compressed data as a
293   :class:`bytes` object.
294
295   See :class:`LZMACompressor` above for a description of the *format*, *check*,
296   *preset* and *filters* arguments.
297
298
299.. function:: decompress(data, format=FORMAT_AUTO, memlimit=None, filters=None)
300
301   Decompress *data* (a :class:`bytes` object), returning the uncompressed data
302   as a :class:`bytes` object.
303
304   If *data* is the concatenation of multiple distinct compressed streams,
305   decompress all of these streams, and return the concatenation of the results.
306
307   See :class:`LZMADecompressor` above for a description of the *format*,
308   *memlimit* and *filters* arguments.
309
310
311Miscellaneous
312-------------
313
314.. function:: is_check_supported(check)
315
316   Return ``True`` if the given integrity check is supported on this system.
317
318   :const:`CHECK_NONE` and :const:`CHECK_CRC32` are always supported.
319   :const:`CHECK_CRC64` and :const:`CHECK_SHA256` may be unavailable if you are
320   using a version of :program:`liblzma` that was compiled with a limited
321   feature set.
322
323
324.. _filter-chain-specs:
325
326Specifying custom filter chains
327-------------------------------
328
329A filter chain specifier is a sequence of dictionaries, where each dictionary
330contains the ID and options for a single filter. Each dictionary must contain
331the key ``"id"``, and may contain additional keys to specify filter-dependent
332options. Valid filter IDs are as follows:
333
334* Compression filters:
335   * :const:`FILTER_LZMA1` (for use with :const:`FORMAT_ALONE`)
336   * :const:`FILTER_LZMA2` (for use with :const:`FORMAT_XZ` and :const:`FORMAT_RAW`)
337
338* Delta filter:
339   * :const:`FILTER_DELTA`
340
341* Branch-Call-Jump (BCJ) filters:
342   * :const:`FILTER_X86`
343   * :const:`FILTER_IA64`
344   * :const:`FILTER_ARM`
345   * :const:`FILTER_ARMTHUMB`
346   * :const:`FILTER_POWERPC`
347   * :const:`FILTER_SPARC`
348
349A filter chain can consist of up to 4 filters, and cannot be empty. The last
350filter in the chain must be a compression filter, and any other filters must be
351delta or BCJ filters.
352
353Compression filters support the following options (specified as additional
354entries in the dictionary representing the filter):
355
356   * ``preset``: A compression preset to use as a source of default values for
357     options that are not specified explicitly.
358   * ``dict_size``: Dictionary size in bytes. This should be between 4 KiB and
359     1.5 GiB (inclusive).
360   * ``lc``: Number of literal context bits.
361   * ``lp``: Number of literal position bits. The sum ``lc + lp`` must be at
362     most 4.
363   * ``pb``: Number of position bits; must be at most 4.
364   * ``mode``: :const:`MODE_FAST` or :const:`MODE_NORMAL`.
365   * ``nice_len``: What should be considered a "nice length" for a match.
366     This should be 273 or less.
367   * ``mf``: What match finder to use -- :const:`MF_HC3`, :const:`MF_HC4`,
368     :const:`MF_BT2`, :const:`MF_BT3`, or :const:`MF_BT4`.
369   * ``depth``: Maximum search depth used by match finder. 0 (default) means to
370     select automatically based on other filter options.
371
372The delta filter stores the differences between bytes, producing more repetitive
373input for the compressor in certain circumstances. It supports one option,
374``dist``. This indicates the distance between bytes to be subtracted. The
375default is 1, i.e. take the differences between adjacent bytes.
376
377The BCJ filters are intended to be applied to machine code. They convert
378relative branches, calls and jumps in the code to use absolute addressing, with
379the aim of increasing the redundancy that can be exploited by the compressor.
380These filters support one option, ``start_offset``. This specifies the address
381that should be mapped to the beginning of the input data. The default is 0.
382
383
384Examples
385--------
386
387Reading in a compressed file::
388
389   import lzma
390   with lzma.open("file.xz") as f:
391       file_content = f.read()
392
393Creating a compressed file::
394
395   import lzma
396   data = b"Insert Data Here"
397   with lzma.open("file.xz", "w") as f:
398       f.write(data)
399
400Compressing data in memory::
401
402   import lzma
403   data_in = b"Insert Data Here"
404   data_out = lzma.compress(data_in)
405
406Incremental compression::
407
408   import lzma
409   lzc = lzma.LZMACompressor()
410   out1 = lzc.compress(b"Some data\n")
411   out2 = lzc.compress(b"Another piece of data\n")
412   out3 = lzc.compress(b"Even more data\n")
413   out4 = lzc.flush()
414   # Concatenate all the partial results:
415   result = b"".join([out1, out2, out3, out4])
416
417Writing compressed data to an already-open file::
418
419   import lzma
420   with open("file.xz", "wb") as f:
421       f.write(b"This data will not be compressed\n")
422       with lzma.open(f, "w") as lzf:
423           lzf.write(b"This *will* be compressed\n")
424       f.write(b"Not compressed\n")
425
426Creating a compressed file using a custom filter chain::
427
428   import lzma
429   my_filters = [
430       {"id": lzma.FILTER_DELTA, "dist": 5},
431       {"id": lzma.FILTER_LZMA2, "preset": 7 | lzma.PRESET_EXTREME},
432   ]
433   with lzma.open("file.xz", "w", filters=my_filters) as f:
434       f.write(b"blah blah blah")
435