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Tar

tar stands for "tape archive," and it's a command-line utility used in Unix-like operating systems to create and manipulate archive files. Archive files are used to group multiple files and directories together into a single file, making it easier to manage and transfer collections of data.

Basic Syntax​

tar [options] archive_file files_or_directories

Common Options​

  • -c: Create a new archive.
  • -x: Extract files from an archive.
  • -v: Verbose mode (show progress and details).
  • -f: Specify the archive file's name.
  • -z: Compress the archive using gzip.
  • -j: Compress the archive using bzip2.
  • -t: List the contents of an archive.
  • -C: Specify a directory to change to before performing operations.

Examples​

  1. Creating an Archive:

    tar -cvf archive.tar file1.txt dir/

    This creates an archive named archive.tar containing file1.txt and the contents of the dir directory.

  2. Extracting an Archive:

    tar -xvf archive.tar

    This extracts the contents of archive.tar to the current directory.

  3. Creating a Compressed Archive:

    tar -czvf archive.tar.gz dir/

    This creates a compressed archive named archive.tar.gz containing the contents of the dir directory using gzip compression.

  4. Extracting a Compressed Archive:

    tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz

    This extracts the contents of the compressed archive archive.tar.gz to the current directory.

  5. Listing Archive Contents:

    tar -tvf archive.tar

    This lists the contents of archive.tar.

  6. Extracting to a Specific Directory:

    tar -xvf archive.tar -C /path/to/destination

    This extracts the contents of archive.tar to the specified destination directory.

Advanced Options​

  • -u: Update an archive with new or modified files.
  • --exclude: Exclude specific files or directories from the archive.
  • --wildcards: Use wildcards to include/exclude files.
  • --anchored: Use patterns that match from the beginning of filenames.

Conclusion​

tar is a versatile tool used for archiving, backup, distribution, and more. It can be combined with other commands and utilities to achieve various tasks, such as creating incremental backups, archiving directories, and transferring data between systems.


✅ Resources​