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Zstandard – Real-time data compression algorithm

facebook.github.io Software & code Software projects Computer science Candidate
Screenshot of facebook.github.io captured 2026-07-20
Page preview · captured 2026-07-20

Resurfaced independently across 4 calendar years, with breakout response in 2 of them.

submissions
6
submitters
6
observed span
2018–2024
peak thread · 96 comments
286 pts
latest 20+ return · 2022-09-04
159 pts

Submission timeline

2007–2026

One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.

First comments on top threads

HN comment order

> Zstandard is a real-time compression algorithm, providing high compression ratios. It offers a very wide range of compression / speed trade-off This would have been very handy about 17 years ago when I was doing a virtual CD-ROM driver, and needed to store compressed images, and the client wanted a wide range of speed/compression options for the user--much wider than zlib offered. I ended up doing a hack that was either the most disgusting thing I have ever done…

tzs·286-point thread·

Interesting fact that under the hood it's based on tANS introduced by Jarosław Duda from Jagiellonian University: some cool references: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXtmN9fE01k https://th.if.uj.edu.pl/~dudaj/ https://demonstrations.wolfram.com/DataCompressionUsingAsymm... https://encode.su/threads/2078-List-of-Asymmetric-Numeral-Sy...

mrl5·159-point thread·

Previously: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...

pvg·26-point thread·

see Compression Benchmark at (https://github.com/powturbo/TurboBench) reply

The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.

Breakout years
2

100+ points or 50+ comments

Total points
477

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Total comments
165

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Every submission

DateTitle as submittedByPointsComments
2018-01-24Zstandard: Fast real-time compression algorithm from Facebook Opensourceyarapavan22
2018-01-24Zstandard – Real-time data compression algorithmFirst breakout · Best threadjosephscott28696
2020-09-01Zstandardgjvc2611
2022-08-29Zstandard – Real-time data compression algorithmsysadm1n20
2022-09-04Zstandard – Real-time data compression algorithmLatest 20+ point returnRafelMri15956
2024-02-27Zstandardtosh20