Linux tar Command

last modified March 3, 2025

The tar command in Linux is used to create, extract, and manage archive files. It is a powerful tool for bundling multiple files and directories into a single archive file, often compressed with gzip or bzip2. This tutorial covers basic and advanced usage of tar with practical examples.

tar is commonly used for backups, file distribution, and compression. It supports various compression formats like .tar.gz, .tar.bz2, and .tar.xz.

Create a Tar Archive

This example demonstrates how to create a tar archive of a directory.

tar -cvf archive.tar directory/

The -c option creates a new archive, -v enables verbose output, and -f specifies the archive file name.

Extract a Tar Archive

This example shows how to extract files from a tar archive.

tar -xvf archive.tar

The -x option extracts files, -v enables verbose output, and -f specifies the archive file name.

Create a Compressed Tar Archive (gzip)

This example demonstrates how to create a compressed tar archive using gzip.

tar -czvf archive.tar.gz directory/

The -z option compresses the archive using gzip.

Extract a Compressed Tar Archive (gzip)

This example shows how to extract files from a gzip-compressed tar archive.

tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz

The -z option decompresses the archive using gzip.

Create a Compressed Tar Archive (bzip2)

This example demonstrates how to create a compressed tar archive using bzip2.

tar -cjvf archive.tar.bz2 directory/

The -j option compresses the archive using bzip2.

Extract a Compressed Tar Archive (bzip2)

This example shows how to extract files from a bzip2-compressed tar archive.

tar -xjvf archive.tar.bz2

The -j option decompresses the archive using bzip2.

List Contents of a Tar Archive

This example demonstrates how to list the contents of a tar archive.

tar -tvf archive.tar

The -t option lists the contents of the archive.

Extract Specific Files from a Tar Archive

This example shows how to extract specific files from a tar archive.

tar -xvf archive.tar file1.txt file2.txt

Specify the file names after the archive name to extract only those files.

Add Files to an Existing Tar Archive

This example demonstrates how to add files to an existing tar archive.

tar -rvf archive.tar newfile.txt

The -r option appends files to the archive.

Best Practices for tar

• Use Compression: Use -z or -j for smaller archive sizes.
• Verify Archives: Use -t to list contents before extraction.
• Use Verbose Mode: Use -v for detailed output during operations.
• Backup Regularly: Use tar for regular backups of important data.

Source

GNU tar Manual

In this article, we have explored various examples of using the tar command for creating, extracting, and managing archive files, including compression and advanced features.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar, and I am a passionate programmer with extensive programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. To date, I have authored over 1,400 articles and 8 e-books. I possess more than ten years of experience in teaching programming.

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