LZ4_decompre...afe_continue(9)

🌸 NAME 🌸

LZ4_decompress_safe_continue — decompress blocks in streaming mode, bestie 💅

Oh and hey, quick vibe check — this whole page lives in the Kernel API Manual, so like… kernel girlies, this one's for you 🫶

---

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

int LZ4_decompress_safe_continue (LZ4_streamDecode_t *LZ4_streamDecode ,
const char *source , char *dest , int compressedSize , int
maxDecompressedSize );

---

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• LZ4_streamDecode — the LZ4_streamDecode_t structure, that's your little state bestie 🫶
• source — source address of the compressed data, aka where the good stuff lives
• dest — output buffer address of the uncompressed data, and heads up: it must be already allocated (not me forgetting to malloc, never 😭)
• compressedSize — the precise full size of the compressed block, like exactly exactly
• maxDecompressedSize — the size of the dest buffer

---

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Okay so this decoding function lets you decompress multiple blocks in "streaming" mode ✨ And here's the thing — previously decoded blocks *must* remain available at the memory position where they were decoded (up to 64 KB). Like, do not move them, do not touch them, they live there now 💀

In the case of ring buffers, the decoding buffer must be either:

• Exactly same size as the encoding buffer, with the same update rule (block boundaries at same positions). In which case, the decoding & encoding ring buffer can have any size, including very small ones (< 64 KB). Slay, tiny buffers 🎀
• Larger than the encoding buffer, by a minimum of maxBlockSize more bytes. maxBlockSize is implementation dependent — it's the maximum size you intend to compress into a single block. In which case, encoding and decoding buffers do not need to be synchronized, and the encoding ring buffer can have any size, including small ones (< 64 KB) ✨
• At least 64 KB + 8 bytes + maxBlockSize. In which case, encoding and decoding buffers do not need to be synchronized, and the encoding ring buffer can have any size, including larger than the decoding buffer 👑

Whenever these conditions are not possible, save the last 64KB of decoded data into a safe buffer, and indicate where it is saved using LZ4_setStreamDecode — no cap, this is the fallback and it's not optional 🚨

---

🔥 RETURN 🔥

Number of bytes decompressed into the destination buffer (necessarily <= maxDecompressedSize) — or a negative result in case of error 😭

---

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

Kernel file ./include/linux/lz4.h plus the whole friend group:

LZ4_compressBound(9), LZ4_compress_default(9), LZ4_compress_fast(9), LZ4_compress_destSize(9), LZ4_decompress_fast(9), LZ4_decompress_safe(9), LZ4_decompress_safe_partial(9), LZ4_compress_HC(9), LZ4_resetStreamHC(9), LZ4_loadDictHC(9), LZ4_compress_HC_continue(9), LZ4_saveDictHC(9), LZ4_resetStream(9), LZ4_loadDict(9), LZ4_saveDict(9), LZ4_compress_fast_continue(9), LZ4_setStreamDecode(9), LZ4_decompress_fast_continue(9), LZ4_decompress_safe_usingDict(9), LZ4_decompress_fast_usingDict(9)

---

Okay that's the whole page, mwah 💋 This cutie came from ./include/linux, dated October 2026, and it's filed under LZ4_decompre...afe_continue(9) — go forth and decompress responsibly, bestie 🌈💖