Zlib Tutorial: Build a Compression CLI Tool in C on Linux
Let's turn your zlib pipeline into a real Linux command-line tool. In this capstone episode, we'll build zcompress — a CLI utility in C that compresses and decompresses files with zlib, complete with argument parsing, progress feedback, and a Makefile.
🔧 What you'll learn:
• Structuring a C project with multiple source files
• Argument parsing with getopt-style logic
• Writing clean error handling to stderr vs stdout
• Building a Makefile and installing to /usr/local/bin
💾 Full source code: [GitHub link]
⏱ Timestamps:
0:00 — From code example to real tool
2:30 — CLI architecture & project layout
5:00 — Code walkthrough: main.c, compress.c, decompress.c
39:30 — Compiling with make & running zcompress
41:00 — Series wrap-up & what's next
📂 Full Zlib Series Playlist: [link]
#zlib #linux #CProgramming #cli #linuxTools