Vbinary: variable length integer coding revisited
The article introduces Vbinary, a parametrized variable-length prefix integer coding. The coding is considered by means of examples in comparison with existing codings, including Golomb/Rice and Elias codings. A naming schema is proposed that allows to specify the coding parameters concisely. Vbinary coding utilizes unusual n-ary extension technique which makes the coding versatile, usable for both bit-based and byte-based data streams. By varying parameters, Vbinary coding can be made efficient for small numbers or large numbers, tailored to specific data distribution, tuned for efficient encoding and decoding. Potential uses for the coding are network protocols, on-disk and in-memory data representation, and final stages of data compression algorithms. (in Russian).