How to Use tar Command
The “tar” command, also known as a “tape archive,” is used to compress files and folders in Linux operating systems. It creates a tar archive by converting a group of files or directories into a single compressed file. The tar command allows you to decompress the tar archive, print a list of all files included in the archive, and add files to the archive. Typically, system administrators use the tar command to create and restore backups on servers.
This tutorial shows you how to compress and decompress files and directories using the tar command in Linux.
Tar Command Syntax
The basic syntax of the tar command is shown below:
tar [option] [archive-name] [files or directories]
A brief explanation of each option is shown below:
c: Used to create a tar archive.x: Used to extract from the tar archive.t: Used to display a list of files inside the tar archive.r: Used to add an additional file to the tar archive.W: Used to verify a tar archive.z: Used to create a tar archive using gzip.j: Used to create a tar archive using bzip.v: Used to display verbose information.f: Used to specify the archive file name.
Creating a Tar Archive
To create a tar archive named compress-file.tar from a single file named file1.txt, run the following command:
tar -cf compress-file.tar file1.txt
To create a tar archive named compress-file.tar from multiple files, including file1.txt, file2.txt, and file3.txt, run the following command:
tar -cf compress-file.tar file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt
To create a tar archive of any directory, run the following command:
tar -cf compress-dir.tar dir1
This command will create a tar archive named compress-dir.tar from a directory called dir1.
Creating a Tar Bz2 Archive
You can compress a tar file using the bz2 algorithm by specifying tar.bz2 at the end of the archive name.
To create a tar.bz2 archive from the directory /etc, use the following command:
tar -cjf compress.tar.bz2 /etc
You can also specify the -v option to display the compression process in verbose mode.
Creating a Tar Gzip Archive
To create a tar archive in gzip format, use the -z option with the tar command.
The following command creates a tar.gz archive from the /usr directory:
tar -czf compress.tar.gz /use
Listing the Contents of a Tar Archive
You can use the -t option with the tar command to display a list of the contents available in a tar archive file.
The following example displays a list of the contents inside the compress-dir.tar file:
tar -tvf compress-dir.tar
Extracting a Tar Archive
To uncompress a tar archive, use the -x option with the tar command.
For example, to uncompress a file called compress-dir.tar, run the following command:
tar -xvf compress-dir.tar
To extract a single file named file1.txt from the compress-dir.tar file, run the following command:
tar -xvf compress-dir.tar file1.txt
Extracting a Tar Gzip Archive
To extract or uncompress a Gzip archive file using the tar command, use the -z option.
For example, to extract the compress.tar.gz archive file, run the following command:
tar -xzvf compress.tar.gz
Extracting a Tar Bz2 Archive
To extract files from a Bz2 archive, use the -j option with the tar command.
For example, to extract the contents of the compress.tar.bz2 archive file, run the following command:
tar -xjvf compress.tar.bz2
Extract a Tar Archive in a Different Directory
By default, when you extract a tar archive, its contents are extracted in the current directory. However, you can use the -C option with the tar command to extract the archive to a specified directory.
For example, to extract the contents of compress-dir.tar to the /opt directory, run the following command:
tar -xvf compress-dir.tar -C /opt
Adding and Removing Files from a Tar Archive
You can add or remove specific files and directories from an existing tar archive. To add a file, use the -r option, and to remove a file, use the –delete option.
For example, to add a new file named file6.txt to the archive named compress-dir.tar, run the following command:
tar -rvf compress-dir.tar file6.txt
To remove a file named file1.txt from the archive named compress-dir.tar, use the following command:
tar --delete -f compress-dir.tar file1.txt
Extract Multiple Files from the Tar Archive
To extract a group of files from a tar archive, you can use a wildcard.
For example, to extract all files that match the pattern “.html” from the archive “compress.tar.gz”, use the following command:
tar -xvzf compress.tar.gz --wildcards '*.html'
Conclusion
The guide above has taught you how to use the tar command to compress and extract files and directories. By following these steps, you should now be able to use the tar command to backup and restore your important files and directories with ease.