SREP

SREP is a handy command line tool that really comes in clutch when you're dealing with huge files. It can handle dictionaries that are way bigger than your available RAM, which means you can process files that are up to 20 times larger than what your RAM can typically manage. Pretty cool, right?

How Does SREP Work?

The default setting on SREP is set at -l512. This allows you to work with those massive files without breaking a sweat. The memory needs actually depend on the value of L, so if you bump up the -l setting, you'll be able to tackle even larger files.

Memory Usage for Compression

When you're compressing files, the memory usage works out like this: it's calculated using the formula filesize/L*20 + filesize/L*4 + roundup(filesize/L*4 * 5/4) + roundup(filesize/(L*8) * 4). Don't worry too much about the math; just know that rounding up helps optimize memory use. The first part of the formula (*20) only kicks in when you're using -m1 mode. Overall, it typically involves working with 3 or 4 chunks of data and uses buffers of about 8 MB.

Decompression Made Easy

Now, when it comes to decompression, things get even simpler! You only need two buffers of 8 MB each and there's no hash involved. Plus, any repeated data goes straight from your output file, so all you really need is enough RAM for disk caching to keep things speedy.

If you're looking for an awesome tool to manage large files with ease, check out SREP! You can download it here!