Zstd compress

POST /api/zstd-compress1 quota unit per call · cache hits free

Compress arbitrary bytes with Zstandard. Standard .zst frame any tool can decompress (`zstd -d`, libraries, etc.). Configurable level 1–22.

Takes any bytes and returns a Zstandard (.zst) compressed frame — a modern alternative to gzip that typically produces 30–50% smaller output at similar (or better) speeds. Decompresses cleanly with `zstd -d` or any zstd-compatible library. Compression level ranges 1–22. `3` is the upstream default; `19+` is "long mode" with substantially higher CPU cost — useful for archival workloads where decompression speed is what matters.

Inputs

Name	Type	Default	Description
data*	file	—	Bytes to compress.
level	number (1…22)	3	Zstd compression level (1 = fastest, 22 = strongest).

Response

Modes: binary, stream, json. Cache: yes (24h TTL).

Large outputs stream: responses over the 4 MiB cache limit are piped through as they are produced instead of buffered. They carry x-cache-skip: size and are never cached — identical follow-up calls recompute.

Every response carries x-cache (HIT / MISS / BYPASS), x-cache-signature (stable across identical inputs), and the rate-limit headers listed below.

Quota & limits

Cost per call	1 unit against the 10,000-unit monthly quota. Cache hits are free — only cache misses decrement.
Burst limit	200 requests per rolling minute, shared across all tools.
Max request size	`25 MiB` (base64 inflates file payloads ~33% — the limit applies to the decoded bytes).
Max response size	`25 MiB`
Timeout	30s wall clock.
Rate-limit headers	`X-RateLimit-Limit`, `X-RateLimit-Remaining`, `X-RateLimit-Burst-Limit` on every response; `X-Quota-Warning` once 80% of the monthly quota is spent; `Retry-After` on 429s.

Errors

Errors are JSON with an error string; schema failures add a details object (Zod's flattened field errors).

Status	When	Body
400	Input fails the tool's schema (wrong type, missing required field, malformed base64) or the file bytes can't be parsed as the expected format.	{ "error": "invalid inputs", "details": { "fieldErrors": { … } } }
401	Missing or invalid X-Api-Key / X-Account-Id headers (or no session when called from the browser).	{ "error": "unauthorized" }
404	Unknown tool id, or calling /api/* on the website hostname instead of api.xtract.bot.	{ "error": "not found" }
413	Request body over the tool's max request size, or an image header declaring more megapixels than the tool's pixel budget.	{ "error": "…exceeds maxRequestBytes…" }
415	Content-Type isn't application/json on the json-body transport.	{ "error": "unsupported content-type; expected application/json" }
429	Monthly quota or the 200/min burst limit exhausted. Check Retry-After and the X-RateLimit-* headers.	{ "error": "monthly quota exceeded", "monthRemaining": 0, … }
5xx	Conversion engine failure. Safe to retry; if it persists, the input is hitting a bug — please report it.	{ "error": "…" }

Code samples

Built from the lorem example.

# Download or substitute the example input:
#   curl -O https://xtract.bot/examples/zstd-compress/lorem.txt
DATA=$(base64 -w0 < lorem.txt)

curl -X POST https://api.xtract.bot/api/zstd-compress \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/octet-stream" \
  -H "X-Account-Id: $XTRACT_ACCOUNT_ID" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: $XTRACT_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
  "level": 3,
  "data": "'"$DATA"'"
}'