What role does the zlib library play in PHP installations and how does it relate to the php_zlib extension?

The zlib library in PHP is used for data compression and decompression. It is commonly used for compressing files and data streams to reduce their size. The php_zlib extension in PHP allows you to use functions provided by the zlib library directly in your PHP code. To enable the php_zlib extension in your PHP installation, you need to make sure that the zlib library is installed on your server and then enable the extension in your php.ini configuration file.

// Enable the php_zlib extension in php.ini
extension=php_zlib.dll