Self-extracting executables contain a compressed application and a decompressor. When executed, the decompressor transparently decompresses and runs the original application. This is especially often used in demo coding, where competitions are held for demos with strict size limits, as small as 1 kilobyte. This type of compression is not strictly limited to binary executables, but can also be applied to scripts, such as JavaScript.
Self-extracting executables contain a compressed application and a decompressor. When executed, the decompressor transparently decompresses and runs the original application. This is especially often used in demo coding, where competitions are held for demos with strict size limits, as small as 1 kilobyte. This type of compression is not strictly limited to binary executables, but can also be applied to scripts, such as JavaScript