Run-length encoding

File Format
Name	Run-length encoding
Ontology	Electronic File Formats Compression Run-length encoding
PRONOM	x-cmp/13

Run-length encoding (RLE) is a simple kind of data compression, in which a run of consecutive equal data values is replaced by a code indicating the run length and the data value.

RLE can be effective for some types of data, or as part of a more sophisticated algorithm, but by itself it is a poor general purpose compression algorithm.

RLE is used in countless raster graphics formats.

Links

• Wikipedia article
• Run-Length Encoding (RLE), from the Encyclopedia of Graphics File Formats