compress

Overview

The compress node reduces data size using standard compression algorithms. It can compress data before storage or network transmission and decompress incoming compressed data. Supports gzip (most common), zlib, and raw deflate algorithms with configurable compression levels. This significantly reduces bandwidth usage and storage costs for large payloads.

Properties

Algorithm Comparison

// Best for: HTTP APIs, file storage
// Header: 10-byte gzip header
// Compatible with .gz files

// Best for: Protocols, databases
// Header: 2-byte zlib header
// Includes Adler-32 checksum

// Best for: Minimal overhead
// Header: None (raw stream)
// Smallest output size

Example: Compress Log Data Before Storage

Compress large JSON log entries before writing them to a database or file system to save storage space.

// Compress node configuration
{
  "operation": "compress",
  "algorithm": "gzip",
  "level": 6,
  "encoding": "base64",
  "property": "payload"
}

// Flow: [Collect Logs] -> [Batch: 100 msgs] -> [Compress] -> [DB Write]
//
// Before compression (JSON log batch):
// msg.payload = {
//   "logs": [
//     { "ts": "2025-01-15T10:00:01Z", "level": "info", "msg": "Request received", ... },
//     { "ts": "2025-01-15T10:00:02Z", "level": "info", "msg": "Processing...", ... },
//     // ... 98 more entries
//   ]
// }
// Size: ~45 KB (JSON text)
//
// After compression:
// msg.payload = "H4sIAAAAAAAAA6tWKkktLlGyUlAqS8..."
// Size: ~8 KB (base64 of gzip)
// Compression ratio: ~82% reduction

Example: Decompress API Response Body

Handle compressed responses from APIs that use gzip content encoding.

// Decompress node configuration
{
  "operation": "decompress",
  "algorithm": "gzip",
  "encoding": "buffer",
  "property": "payload"
}

// Flow: [HTTP Request] -> [Decompress] -> [JSON Parse] -> [Process]
//
// HTTP Request returns compressed response:
// Response header: Content-Encoding: gzip
// msg.payload =   (gzip binary)
//
// After decompression:
// msg.payload =   (raw JSON bytes)
//
// After JSON parse:
// msg.payload = {
//   "devices": [ ... ],
//   "total": 1500,
//   "page": 1
// }
//
// Useful when HTTP node does not auto-decompress

Common Use Cases