# Ancient Web: zlib Kept 1995 Compression Source Files on a Living Homepage zlib's long-lived home page preserves a free compression library, RFC-era technical documents, a developer FAQ and original distribution archives dating to 1995. 2026-10-18 :: Switchboard Tech Services ![Ancient Web: zlib Kept 1995 Compression Source Files on a Living Homepage](https://switchboardtechservices.com/static/images/defaults/articles.webp) Part of the [Ancient Web Collection](https://switchboardtechservices.com/articles/ancient-web-collection/). A humble compression library from 1995 is still receiving updates. Better yet, its homepage still looks like something its original users might recognize. [Visit the zlib homepage](https://zlib.net/). The front page identifies **Jean-loup Gailly** as the author of the compression code and **Mark Adler** as the author of the decompression code, with the webpage originally created by Greg Roelofs. Its heading combines technical seriousness with a deliberately playful claim about being free, compact and unencumbered by patents. The footer dates the website's copyright from **1996**, and the software itself from **1995**. The main page was still being updated in February **2026**, announcing zlib version 1.3.2 and enumerating security fixes, build changes and compatibility work. The site qualifies because its own old archives and documentation remain part of the working project, not because its current maintenance has stopped. ## The archive contains actual software fossils The [fossil directory](https://zlib.net/fossils/) goes back to source archives such as zlib 0.71 and 0.8 from **April 1995**. Later versions, including 1996 releases, remain listed by filename, size and modification date. The directory makes it possible to trace the early library through successive distributions rather than merely reading a historical description. The [FAQ](https://zlib.net/zlib_faq.html) is another time capsule. Its very first question asks whether zlib is Y2K-compliant. Elsewhere it discusses Visual Basic, Delphi, Windows DLLs, Solaris shared libraries, endianness and the perennial confusion between zlib's compressed stream and a full ZIP archive. The homepage links directly to [RFC 1950](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1950), [RFC 1951](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1951) and [RFC 1952](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1952), which standardized the zlib, DEFLATE and gzip formats in May 1996. It also connects zlib to Java's early compression classes, PNG and innumerable software environments. Importantly, the FAQ does not pretend every older distribution is safe to install. Current projects should use maintained versions and check security notices, not blindly run an archived library because it is historic. Where a modern software release page might hide previous versions behind a short dropdown, zlib still offers the old reference links, technical notes and unglamorous source tarballs in plain sight. It is a reminder that open standards endure partly because somebody keeps the documentation beside the code. [Explore the dated fossil releases and old FAQs](https://zlib.net/fossils/). Part of the [Ancient Web Collection](https://switchboardtechservices.com/articles/ancient-web-collection/). - Categories: [Ancient Web](https://switchboardtechservices.com/articles/categories/ancient-web/) - Tags: [#ancientweb](https://switchboardtechservices.com/articles/tags/ancientweb/), [#programming](https://switchboardtechservices.com/articles/tags/programming/), [#opensource](https://switchboardtechservices.com/articles/tags/opensource/), [#compression](https://switchboardtechservices.com/articles/tags/compression/), [#softwarehistory](https://switchboardtechservices.com/articles/tags/softwarehistory/) [Articles RSS](https://switchboardtechservices.com/feeds/articles.xml "Subscribe using an RSS reader") --- Canonical URL: https://switchboardtechservices.com/articles/ancient-web-zlib-kept-1995-compression-source-files-on-a-living-homepage/ Language: en-us Content type: article Author: Switchboard Tech Services Published: 2026-10-18T15:11:56+00:00 Modified: 2026-10-18T21:05:09.699798+00:00 Description: The zlib website traces the unusually durable freeware compression library created by Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler, with old releases still downloadable.