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# Remote and Compressed Files

Ediff works with remote, compressed, and encrypted files. Ediff supports ``ange-ftp.el'`, ``jka-compr.el'`, ``uncompress.el'` and ``crypt++.el'`, but it may work with other similar packages as well. This means that you can compare files residing on another machine, or you can apply a patch to a file on another machine. Even the patch itself can be a remote file!

When patching compressed or remote files, Ediff does not rename the source file (unlike what the `patch` utility would usually do). Instead, the source file retains its name and the result of applying the patch is placed in a temporary file that has the suffix ``_patched'` attached. Generally, this applies to files that are handled using black magic, such as special file handlers (ange-ftp and some compression and encryption packages all use this method).

Regular files are treated by the `patch` utility in the usual manner, i.e., the original is renamed into ``source-name.orig'` and the result of the patch is placed into the file source-name. (Ediff ``_orig'` on systems like VMS, DOS, etc.)

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