In 1952 David Huffman, a graduate student at the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed an elegant algorithm for lossless compression as part of his schoolwork. The algorithm is now known as Huffman coding. Huffman coding can be used to compress all sorts of data. It is an entropy-based algorithm that relies on an analysis of the frequency of symbols in an array.

The image compression techniques are categorized into two main classifications namely Lossy compression techniques and Lossless compression techniques.

A technique in which the compressed image is reconstructed without any loss of data is called lossless compression. Lossless compression ratio gives good quality of compressed images, but yields only less compression.

A technique in which the compressed image is reconstructed with loss of data is called lossy compression. The lossy compression techniques lead to loss of data with higher compression ratio.

Huffman coding is loss less technique with more attractive features in various application such as medical survey and analysis, technical drawing etc. Huffman coding has better characteristics of image compression.