A FLAC format and extension file is an audio file compressed in the Free
Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) format, which is an open source lossless audio
compression format.
It is similar to an MP3 file, but it is compressed without loss of
quality or suppression of original audio data or frequencies.
FLAC reduces the size of digital audio by approximately 60 percent and is
a widely supported format on most popular platforms.
It is open source and has been developed by the Xiph.org
Foundation.
A FLAC Fingerprint file, which contains the filename and checksum
information of a FLAC file, can be generated along with the FLAC file.
FLAC is also an audio codec that allows digital audio to be losslessly
compressed in such a way that the size of the audio file is reduced
without any information being lost.
As stated above, digital audio compressed when using the FLAC algorithm
can typically be reduced to 50 to 60% of its original size, and is
decompressed into an identical copy of the original audio data.
Software to open and work with a FLAC file
The software packages used to open these types of files are very varied,
including some standalone type sound equipment, vehicle sound systems,
home players, etc., have the capacity (codec) to play them.