{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "GZEXE",
    "section": "1",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/GZEXE/1/json",
    "generated": "2026-06-15T16:42:22Z",
    "synopsis": "gzexe name ...",
    "sections": {
        "NAME": {
            "content": "gzexe - compress executable files in place\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SYNOPSIS": {
            "content": "gzexe name ...\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DESCRIPTION": {
            "content": "The gzexe utility allows you to compress executables in place and have them automatically un‐\ncompress and execute when you run them (at a penalty in performance).  For example if you ex‐\necute ``gzexe /usr/bin/gdb'' it will create the following two files:\n-rwxr-xr-x  1 root root 1026675 Jun  7 13:53 /usr/bin/gdb\n-rwxr-xr-x  1 root root 2304524 May 30 13:02 /usr/bin/gdb~\n/usr/bin/gdb~  is  the  original  file  and /usr/bin/gdb is the self-uncompressing executable\nfile.  You can remove /usr/bin/gdb~ once you are sure that /usr/bin/gdb works properly.\n\nThis utility is most useful on systems with very small disks.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "OPTIONS": {
            "content": "",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "-d",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-d"
                }
            ]
        },
        "SEE ALSO": {
            "content": "gzip(1), znew(1), zmore(1), zcmp(1), zforce(1)\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "CAVEATS": {
            "content": "The compressed executable is a shell script.  This may create some security holes.   In  par‐\nticular,  the  compressed executable relies on the PATH environment variable to find gzip and\nsome standard utilities (basename, chmod, ln, mkdir, mktemp, rm, sleep, and tail).\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "BUGS": {
            "content": "gzexe attempts to retain the original file attributes on the compressed executable,  but  you\nmay have to fix them manually in some cases, using chmod or chown.\n\n\n\nGZEXE(1)",
            "subsections": []
        }
    },
    "summary": "gzexe - compress executable files in place",
    "flags": [
        {
            "flag": "-d",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        }
    ],
    "examples": [],
    "see_also": [
        {
            "name": "gzip",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/gzip/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "znew",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/znew/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "zmore",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/zmore/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "zcmp",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/zcmp/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "zforce",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/zforce/1/json"
        }
    ],
    "tldr": {
        "source": "official",
        "description": "Compress executable files while keeping them executable.",
        "examples": [
            {
                "description": "Compress an executable file in-place",
                "command": "gzexe {{path/to/executable}}"
            },
            {
                "description": "[d]ecompress a compressed executable in-place (i.e. convert the shell script back to an uncompressed binary)",
                "command": "gzexe -d {{path/to/compressed_executable}}"
            }
        ]
    }
}