LZW (Lempel-Ziv-Welch)

LZW (Lempel-Ziv-Welch) is a data compression algorithm that reduces file size by replacing repeated patterns with shorter codes. It scans the data to identify sequences of characters that occur frequently and creates a dictionary of these sequences. Instead of storing the full sequence each time, the algorithm uses the corresponding code from the dictionary. As it processes the data, the dictionary grows, allowing for efficient compression of subsequent repeats. LZW is commonly used in formats like GIF images and in general-purpose compression tools, making data storage and transmission more efficient without losing any information.