# tar — Create and Extract Archives > Practical guide to tar — create and extract archives with gzip, bzip2 and xz compression, backups, SSH transfer and selective extraction. Source: https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/archives/tar/ tar is the go-to tool on Linux and Unix for bundling whole directory trees into a single archive file – preserving permissions, timestamps and symlinks. Originally built for tape drives (hence "tape archive"), it remains the backbone of nearly every backup and software distribution. tar doesn't compress on its own; it hands the data stream off to gzip, bzip2 or xz, which you select with a single extra flag. This guide walks you through the essential commands for packing, extracting, inspecting and building advanced backup workflows. ## Create Archives `tar -cf ` — Create an uncompressed tar archive. ```bash tar -cf backup.tar /home/user/docs/ ``` `tar -czf ` — Create a gzip-compressed archive. ```bash tar -czf backup.tar.gz /home/user/docs/ ``` `tar -cjf ` — Create a bzip2-compressed archive. ```bash tar -cjf backup.tar.bz2 /home/user/docs/ ``` `tar -cJf ` — Create an xz-compressed archive (best compression). ```bash tar -cJf backup.tar.xz /home/user/docs/ ``` `tar -cf -C .` — Create archive from a directory without including the parent path. ```bash tar -cf backup.tar -C /home/user/docs/ . ``` `tar -czf --exclude='' ` — Create archive excluding files matching a pattern. ```bash tar -czf backup.tar.gz --exclude='*.log' /home/user/docs/ ``` ## Extract Archives `tar -xf ` — Extract a tar archive to the current directory. ```bash tar -xf backup.tar ``` `tar -xzf ` — Extract a gzip-compressed archive. ```bash tar -xzf backup.tar.gz ``` `tar -xjf ` — Extract a bzip2-compressed archive. ```bash tar -xjf backup.tar.bz2 ``` `tar -xJf ` — Extract an xz-compressed archive. ```bash tar -xJf backup.tar.xz ``` `tar -xf -C ` — Extract to a specific directory. ```bash tar -xf backup.tar -C /tmp/restore/ ``` `tar -xf ` — Extract only a specific file from the archive. ```bash tar -xf backup.tar home/user/docs/readme.txt ``` `tar -xf --wildcards '*.txt'` — Extract only files matching a wildcard pattern. ```bash tar -xf backup.tar --wildcards '*.txt' ``` ## List Contents `tar -tf ` — List all files in an archive without extracting. ```bash tar -tf backup.tar ``` `tar -tzf ` — List contents of a gzip-compressed archive. ```bash tar -tzf backup.tar.gz ``` `tar -tvf ` — List contents with detailed file info (permissions, size, date). ```bash tar -tvf backup.tar ``` `tar -tf | grep ` — Search for a specific file in the archive. ```bash tar -tf backup.tar | grep config ``` ## Append & Update `tar -rf ` — Append files to an existing tar archive (uncompressed only). ```bash tar -rf backup.tar newfile.txt ``` `tar -uf ` — Update files in the archive only if they are newer. ```bash tar -uf backup.tar /home/user/docs/ ``` `tar --delete -f ` — Remove a file from the archive (uncompressed only). ```bash tar --delete -f backup.tar oldfile.txt ``` ## Advanced Options `tar -czf - | ssh "cat > backup.tar.gz"` — Create a compressed archive and send it to a remote server via SSH. ```bash tar -czf - /home/user/docs/ | ssh server "cat > backup.tar.gz" ``` `tar -czf --newer-mtime='' ` — Archive only files modified after a certain date. ```bash tar -czf recent.tar.gz --newer-mtime='2025-01-01' /home/user/docs/ ``` `tar -czf -T ` — Create archive from a list of files in a text file. ```bash tar -czf backup.tar.gz -T files.txt ``` `tar -czf - | split -b - ` — Create a split archive for large backups. ```bash tar -czf - /data/ | split -b 100M - backup_part_ ``` `cat * | tar -xzf -` — Extract a split archive. ```bash cat backup_part_* | tar -xzf - ``` ## Conclusion tar is remarkably versatile: a single tool for backups, software packages and shipping entire directory trees across the network. Remember the two letter pairs `-c` (create) and `-x` (extract) plus the compression switch (`z` for gzip, `j` for bzip2, `J` for xz) and you cover the daily essentials. When creating archives, tar strips leading `/` from absolute paths, so archives extract relative by default. Still, be cautious when unpacking archives from untrusted sources: inspect them first with `-t`, since crafted paths (path traversal via `../`) could overwrite files outside the target directory. ## Further Reading - [GNU tar manual](https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/manual/) – the official, complete reference for every option - [tar – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_(computing)) – background on the file format and its history ## Related Commands - [7z](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/archives/7z/) – high-compression archiver with its own 7z format - [gzip](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/archives/gzip/) – fast stream compression, often paired with tar - [zip](https://www.jpkc.com/db/en/cheatsheets/archives/zip/) – cross-platform archive format with per-file compression