An archive is a file that contains one or more other files, typically compressed to save storage space and reduce transfer time. It is often used to package multiple files or directories into a single file for easy distribution or backup purposes. Archives are commonly used in computer systems to store and transport large amounts of data efficiently.
Archives can be created using various compression algorithms such as ZIP, TAR, GZIP, RAR, and 7-Zip, among others. Compression reduces the size of the files by removing redundant data or encoding data in a more efficient way. This makes archives smaller and faster to transfer or store, saving storage space and reducing bandwidth requirements.