How to Use the tar Command: Useful Examples for Archiving and Compressing Files in Linux

How to Use the tar Command: Useful Examples for Archiving and Compressing Files in Linux

tar, short for tape archive, is a Linux command used to archive and compress files and folders. Learning how to use the tar command is essential for efficiently managing files in Linux.

What Is the tar Command?

The tar command lets you combine multiple files and directories into a single archive file, making data storage and transfer easier. The result of a tar command is typically a TAR file. When combined with gzip for additional compression, it becomes a .tar.gz file.

When working on Linux systems, such as a VPS (Virtual Private Server), the tar command offers several advantages:

• Reduces the number of files you manage, helping organize storage more efficiently.

• Minimizes file size and optimizes disk space when combined with tools like gzip or bzip2.

• Creates complete directory backups for easy data preservation and recovery.

• Simplifies file transfers between systems since you deal with a single file instead of many.

• Supports incremental backup strategies by archiving only the changes since the last backup.

  
  

tar Command Options

The tar command includes many options for advanced compression and extraction. Here are the most essential ones:

• -c: Create an archive file.

• -x: Extract files from an archive.

• -z: Add gzip compression when creating or extracting an archive.

• -j: Add bzip2 compression when creating or extracting an archive.

• -t: List the contents of an archive.

• -u: Update files in an existing archive.

• -r: Add files to an archive (similar to -u).

• -A: Merge two archives into one.

  
  

Basic syntax:

tar [options] [archive-file] [file or folder to archive]

tar Command Examples in Linux

Before you proceed, make sure your VPS hosting is running properly.

Create a tar Archive File

Creating an archive for files and directories is simple. Example:

tar -cvf archive-file.tar file1 file2

• -c: Create a new archive.

• -v: Enable verbose mode for detailed output.

• -f: Specify the name of the archive file.

To recursively archive a directory and its contents:

tar -cvf archive-file.tar directory1/

Create a .tar.gz File

To reduce file size and optimize storage, create a .tar.gz file using gzip compression:

tar -czvf archive-file.tar.gz file1 file2 directory1

The -z option adds gzip compression.

You can also create a .tgz file:

tar -czvf archive.tgz file1 file2 directory1

Create a .tar.bz2 File

The BZ2 format provides higher compression than gzip, but it’s slower to compress and extract.

tar -cjvf archive-file.tar.bz2 file1 file2 directory1

You can also use .tar.tbz or .tar.tb2 extensions:

tar -cjvf archive-file.tar.tbz file1 file2 directory1
tar -cjvf archive-file.tar.tb2 file1 file2 directory1

Extract .tar Files

To extract files in the current directory:

tar -xvf archive-file.tar

To extract files to a specific directory:

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

For .tar.gz files:

tar -xvzf archive-file.tar.gz
tar -xvzf archive-file.tar.gz -C /path/to/destination/

For .tar.bz2, .tar.tbz, or .tar.tb2 files:

tar -xjvf archive-file.tar.bz2
tar -xjvf archive-file.tar.tbz
tar -xjvf archive-file.tar.tb2

List the Contents of a tar Archive

tar -tvf archive-file.tar

For .tar.gz files:

tar -ztvf archive-file.tar.gz

For .tar.bz2 files:

tar -jtvf archive-file.tar.bz2

Extract a Single File from a tar Archive

tar -xvf archive-file.tar file1.sh

Or with a stripped path:

tar -xvf archive-file.tar --strip-components=1 file1.sh

For .tar.gz:

tar -xzvf archive-file.tar.gz file2.py
tar -xzvf archive-file.tar.gz --strip-components=1 file2.py

For .tar.bz2:

tar -xjvf archive-file.tar.bz2 file3.cpp
tar -xjvf archive-file.tar.bz2 --strip-components=1 file3.cpp

Extract Multiple Files from a tar Archive

tar -xvf archive-file.tar file1 file2 directory1

For .tar.gz:

tar -xzvf archive-file.tar.gz file3 file4 directory2

For .tar.bz2:

tar -xjvf archive-file.tar.bz2 file5 file6 directory3

Extract Files Matching a Pattern

tar -xvf archive-file.tar '*.txt'

For .tar.gz:

tar -xzvf archive-file.tar.gz '*.txt'

For .tar.bz2:

tar -xjvf archive-file.tar.bz2 '*.txt'

Add Files to an Existing tar Archive

tar -rvf archive-file.tar newfile1 newfile2

Or add directories:

tar -rvf archive-file.tar newdir1 newdir2

Note: You can’t add files to .tar.gz or .tar.bz2 archives directly.

Verify a tar Archive

tar -tvf archive-file.tar > /dev/null

This discards the output, performing a clean verification.(Not applicable to .tar.gz or .tar.bz2 files.)

Check the Size of an Archive

tar -czvf - archive-file.tar | wc -c
tar -czvf - archive-file.tar.gz | wc -c
tar -cjvf - archive-file.tar.bz2 | wc -c

Create Backups Using tar with Pipes

You can combine tar with other commands for more advanced tasks — for example, backing up and compressing a directory:

tar -czvf - project | gzip > project_backup.tar.gz

Conclusion

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