Limit free computation of entropy

Various limit-free formulas are given for the computation of the algebraic and the topological entropy, respectively in the settings of endomorphisms of locally finite discrete groups and of continuous endomorphisms of totally disconnected compact groups. As applications we give new proofs of the connection between the algebraic and the topological entropy in the abelian case and of the connection of the topological entropy with the finite depth for topological automorphisms.