>Usage
tar is a command-line tool used to create, maintain, and extract file archives. It combines multiple files into a single archive file, often for easier storage or transfer. It can also compress the archive to save space.
>Synopsis
>Options
-f
-c
create: This option is used to create a new archive. When we use -c we combine the
specified files or directories into an archive
Example 1:
-zsh
tar -cf archive.tar file1.txt file2.txt
we create a new archive named archive.tar containing the files file1.txt and file2.txt
-x
extract: used to extract files and directories from a specified archive. Note that we have to use the option -f
to specify the name of the archive.
Example 2:
-zsh
tar -xf archive.tar
we are extracting the content of archive.tar.
-v
verbose: With this option tar will display detailed output of the files as they are being added to (when creating) or extracted
from (when extracting) the archive. This allows you to see each file being processed in real-time.
Example 3:
-zsh
tar -cvf archive.tar file1.txt file2.txt
with the option -v the files are shown as they are added to archive.tar
-z
gzip compression: This option in the tar command is used to compress (or decompress) an archive using gzip (gunzip). This
option allows tar to directly create or extract .tar.gz files
Example 4:
-zsh
tar -czf archive.tar.gz file1.txt
this command will create an archive archive.tar.gz containing the file file1.txt
and compressing it using gzip
-t
list: this option allows you to view the contents of an archive without extracting the files, used to check what's inside an archive.
Example 5:
-zsh
tar -tf archive.tar
this command will list all the element in the archive archive.tar
-u
update: this option allows you to add new files (or directories) to an existing tar archive.
The files are added only if they are newer than the versions already in the archive or if they didn't exist in the archive.
Example 6:
-zsh
tar -uf archive.tar file2.txt
this command will add file2.txt to the existing archive archive.tar