How to Read a ZST File via Python
What is a ZST file?
If you’ve ever stumbled upon a file with the .zst
extension and wondered what kind of sorcery it is—don’t worry, you’re not alone.
A ZST file is a compressed file format created using Zstandard (often shortened to zstd), a modern compression algorithm developed by Facebook. Think of it as the younger, faster cousin of more familiar formats like .zip
or .gz
. What makes .zst
files special is their impressive balance between speed and compression ratio—they compress data quickly and decompress even faster, which is great for performance-critical applications.