Common formats that employ lossless compression include ZIP for general file compression, PNG for images, GIF for animations, FLAC for audio, and ALAC for music specific to Apple. These formats apply techniques like Huffman coding, LZW, or predictive algorithms to reduce file sizes while preserving data integrity. Formats like PNG are widely used in web development because they maintain image quality, while FLAC and ALAC are preferred by music enthusiasts for their high-fidelity sound storage.

Lossless compression in text files operates by identifying recurring patterns, characters, or sequences and encoding them more succinctly. Techniques like Huffman coding represent frequently occurring symbols with shorter codes, while methods like LZW use dictionaries to replace repetitive strings with reference pointers. For instance, a text repeating "the" multiple times might store it just once and reference it wherever needed. This reduces file size while ensuring that the original content is fully recoverable.

Yes, lossless compression can be applied to audio files. Formats like FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) and ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) are designed for this purpose. They reduce file sizes while maintaining the original sound quality, making them suitable for audiophiles or music producers who require high fidelity. Unlike lossy formats like MP3, lossless audio doesn't discard data, ensuring that every nuance of the recording is preserved during compression and decompression.