Compare
Brotli vs gzip
Brotli and gzip are lossless formats used for HTTP delivery. Brotli is common for web-content compression, while gzip has broad compatibility with existing tools.
Which format should you choose?
Try Brotli for web text when the server and client negotiate br. Consider gzip for older tools or established delivery paths. Check Accept-Encoding, Content-Encoding, cache variation, and measured size and speed.
Good fit for Brotli
Storing losslessly compressed streams · Compressing content for compatible HTTP delivery
- Precompressed web text when the server and client support Brotli
- Exchanging compressed data between Brotli-capable tools
Good fit for GZIP
Compress a file or tar archive without data loss
- Unix distributions, logs, and text files
Basic information
| Field | Brotli | GZIP |
|---|---|---|
| Extension | .br | .gz, .gzip |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream | application/gzip |
| Common uses | Storing losslessly compressed streams · Compressing content for compatible HTTP delivery | Compress a file or tar archive without data loss |
| How to open | Use a Brotli-capable decompression tool or library. For precompressed web delivery, send Content-Encoding: br to compatible requests and check file naming, media type, and cache configuration. | Decompress with a GZIP-compatible tool. For tar.gz, also extract the tar archive. |
| Export or convert | To convert to gzip or zstd, decompress and recompress. Verify the output with a checksum or content comparison, and measure size, encoding time, and receiver support. Do not infer HTTP headers or content only from the .br extension. | When converting to ZIP or another archive, check file names, directory structure, and extracted contents. |
Choose by use case
Precompressed web text when the server and client support Brotli
Storing losslessly compressed streams · Compressing content for compatible HTTP delivery
BrotliExchanging compressed data between Brotli-capable tools
Storing losslessly compressed streams · Compressing content for compatible HTTP delivery
BrotliUnix distributions, logs, and text files
Compress a file or tar archive without data loss
GZIPKey point 1
Brotli is specified by RFC 7932; gzip by RFC 1952. HTTP negotiates them as separate content codings.
More on the differencesKey point 2
Neither compressed stream is a multi-file archive. A .br or .gz extension alone does not prove which HTTP headers or coding are in use.
More on the differencesMore on the differences
Choose based on clients, server setup, and measured workloads. Test representative content and make sure caches distinguish responses encoded with different content codings.
- Both are lossless but have different stream formats and require matching decoders.
- Brotli may be used for HTTP Content-Encoding: br and precompressed .br files. Gzip remains widely handled by existing tools and systems.
- Size and speed depend on content, settings, and implementation; neither wins for every file. Recompression requires decoding and encoding again.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brotli always smaller than gzip?
No. Results vary by content and compression settings. Measure the pages or files you actually serve.