How to Create and Extract Tar Archive Files in Linux

The tar command in Linux is used to create, extract, and manage archive files (often called “tarballs”). It combines multiple files or directories into a single archive file, optionally compressing them to save space. While tar itself doesn’t compress data, it integrates with tools like gzip, bzip2, and xz for compression.

Common use cases include backups, software distribution, and transferring groups of files efficiently.

---

Create a Basic Archive

tar -cvf archive.tar /path/to/directory

• -c: Create a new archive.
• -v: Verbose output (shows files being added).
• -f: Specify the archive filename (archive.tar).

Extract an Archive

tar -xvf archive.tar

• -x: Extract files.
• -v: Verbose output.
• -f: Specify the archive to extract.

Create a Gzip-Compressed Archive

tar -czvf archive.tar.gz /path/to/directory

• -z: Compress the archive using gzip (ideal for speed and moderate compression).

Extract a Gzip Archive

tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz

• -z: Decompress the gzip archive during extraction.

Create a Bzip2-Compressed Archive

tar -cjvf archive.tar.bz2 /path/to/directory

• -j: Use bzip2 for higher compression (slower but more efficient).

List Contents of an Archive

tar -tvf archive.tar

• -t: List files without extracting them.

Add Files to an Existing Archive

tar -rvf archive.tar newfile.txt

• -r: Append newfile.txt to archive.tar (works only on uncompressed archives).

Extract a Specific File

tar -xvf archive.tar path/to/file.txt

Extracts only `file.txt` from the archive.

Exclude Files During Archiving

tar -cvf archive.tar --exclude="*.tmp" /path/to/directory

Skips files ending with .tmp.

Create an Archive with Wildcards

tar -cvf logs.tar *.log

Archives all `.log` files in the current directory.

Extract to a Specific Directory

tar -xvf archive.tar -C /target/directory

• -C: Extracts files to /target/directory.

Create a Compressed Archive with XZ

tar -cJvf archive.tar.xz /path/to/directory

• -J: Uses xz for maximum compression (best for large files).

Verify Archive Integrity

tar -tvfW archive.tar

• -W: Verifies files after writing (for uncompressed archives).

Incremental Backups

tar -g snapshot.snar -czvf backup.tar.gz /path/to/directory

• -g: Creates an incremental backup using a snapshot file (snapshot.snar).

Split an Archive into Multiple Files

tar -cvzf - /path/to/directory | split -b 100M - archive_part.tar.gz.  

Splits the archive into 100MB parts (useful for storage limits).

---

Key Notes:

• Compression Options:
• .tar.gz (gzip): Fast and widely supported.
• .tar.bz2 (bzip2): Better compression, slower.
• .tar.xz (xz): Best compression, slowest.
• Overwrite Risks: Extracting archives may overwrite existing files. Use --keep-old-files to prevent this.
• Permissions: Use sudo to preserve ownership/permissions (e.g., sudo tar -czvf).