tar Command in Linux — Archive Files with Compression Examples

In this tutorial, you'll learn about tar command in linux. We cover key concepts, practical examples, and best practices to help you understand and apply this topic effectively.

tar (tape archive) is the Linux standard for Bundling files into a single archive — optionally with compression. Originally designed for tape drives, it's now the go-to tool for backups, software distribution, and file transfer.

What You'll Learn

By the end of this tutorial, you'll know how to create and extract archives, list contents, use gzip/bzip2/xz compression, exclude files, add files to existing archives, use verbose mode, and extract to specific directories.

Why tar Matters

Every Linux user deals with tar archives — downloading source tarballs (tar.gz), backing up directories, distributing application builds. DodaZIP is built on compression expertise; its core team uses tar daily for archiving log files, packaging builds, and creating backup snapshots.

tar Learning Path

flowchart LR
  A[find Command] --> B[tar Command
You are here]
  B --> C[rsync Command]
  C --> D[Backup Strategies]
  D --> E[System Administration]
  style B fill:#f90,color:#fff

Syntax Overview

tar [options] [archive-file] [files/directories]

10 Practical Examples

Create a sample directory to archive:

mkdir -p myproject/src myproject/docs myproject/tests
echo "print('hello')" > myproject/src/main.py
echo "# Documentation" > myproject/docs/guide.md
echo "def test_main(): pass" > myproject/tests/test_main.py
echo "*.log" > myproject/.gitignore

1. Create an Archive

Create a tar file (no compression):

tar -cf myproject.tar myproject
ls -lh myproject.tar

-rw-r--r-- 1 alice alice 10K Jun 20 10:00 myproject.tar

2. Extract an Archive

Extract to the current directory:

tar -xf myproject.tar
ls -d myproject

myproject

3. List Archive Contents

View contents without extracting:

tar -tf myproject.tar

myproject/
myproject/src/
myproject/docs/
myproject/tests/
myproject/.gitignore
myproject/src/main.py
myproject/docs/guide.md
myproject/tests/test_main.py

4. Create Compressed Archive with gzip

The most common format — .tar.gz:

tar -czf myproject.tar.gz myproject
ls -lh myproject.tar.gz

-rw-r--r-- 1 alice alice 312 Jun 20 10:00 myproject.tar.gz

Extract gzip archive:

tar -xzf myproject.tar.gz

5. Create with bzip2 Compression

Better compression ratio, slower:

tar -cjf myproject.tar.bz2 myproject
ls -lh myproject.tar.bz2

-rw-r--r-- 1 alice alice 268 Jun 20 10:00 myproject.tar.bz2

6. Create with xz Compression

Best compression ratio, slowest:

tar -cJf myproject.tar.xz myproject
ls -lh myproject.tar.xz

-rw-r--r-- 1 alice alice 196 Jun 20 10:00 myproject.tar.xz

7. Exclude Files

Archive everything except test files:

tar -czf myproject-no-tests.tar.gz --exclude="tests" myproject
tar -tzf myproject-no-tests.tar.gz

myproject/
myproject/src/
myproject/docs/
myproject/.gitignore
myproject/src/main.py
myproject/docs/guide.md

Exclude multiple patterns:

tar -czf myproject-filtered.tar.gz \
    --exclude="tests" \
    --exclude="*.log" \
    --exclude=".git" \
    myproject

8. Add Files to Existing Archive

Append a new file:

echo "README" > myproject/README.md
tar -rf myproject.tar myproject/README.md
tar -tf myproject.tar | grep README

myproject/README.md

9. Verbose Output

See all files as they're added:

tar -czvf myproject-verbose.tar.gz myproject

myproject/
myproject/src/
myproject/docs/
myproject/tests/
myproject/.gitignore
myproject/src/main.py
myproject/docs/guide.md
myproject/tests/test_main.py

10. Extract to a Specific Directory

Extract archive contents into /tmp/restore:

tar -xzf myproject.tar.gz -C /tmp/restore
ls /tmp/restore/myproject

myproject/

This is useful when you want to control where files land without polluting the current directory.

Common Use Cases

Backup a Directory with Date Stamp

tar -czf "/backups/home-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz" /home/alice

Extract Specific Files from an Archive

tar -xf archive.tar.gz --wildcards '*.py'

Compare Compression Sizes

ls -lh myproject.tar* | awk '{print $5, $9}'

10K myproject.tar
312B myproject.tar.gz
268B myproject.tar.bz2
196B myproject.tar.xz

Incremental Backup with --listed-incremental

tar -czf backup-full.tar.gz --listed-incremental=backup.snap myproject
tar -czf backup-inc.tar.gz --listed-incremental=backup.snap myproject

Common Mistakes

1. Forgetting -f Before the Archive Name

tar -czf requires -f immediately before the archive name. tar -cz myproject.tar.gz myproject would use myproject.tar.gz as a compression option, not a filename.

2. Conflicting Compression Flags

tar -czjf archive.tar.gz myproject uses both -z (gzip) and -j (bzip2). Choose one: -z for gzip, -j for bzip2, -J for xz.

3. Using Absolute Paths (Security Risk)

tar -cf archive.tar /home/alice/myproject stores the full path. Extracting overwrites /home/alice/myproject. Use relative paths or strip with --strip-components=N.

4. Extracting Without Checking Contents First

Always run tar -tf archive.tar.gz first to see what's inside. This prevents accidental directory overwrites or extracting hundreds of files into the current folder.

Practice Questions

1. What does tar -xzf archive.tar.gz -C /target do?

It extracts the gzip-compressed archive into the /target directory.

2. How do you create a .tar.xz archive?

tar -cJf archive.tar.xz directory/

3. What's the difference between -z, -j, and -J?

-z uses gzip (fast, decent compression), -j uses bzip2 (slower, better compression), -J uses xz (slowest, best compression).

4. How do you exclude a directory when creating an archive?

tar -czf archive.tar.gz --exclude="dir_to_exclude" myproject/

5. Challenge: Write a tar command that creates a compressed backup of /etc but excludes /etc/ssl/private and saves with a date stamp.

sudo tar -czf "/backups/etc-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).tar.gz" --exclude="/etc/ssl/private" /etc

Mini Project: Backup Rotation Script

#!/bin/bash
# backup_rotate.sh — Create daily backups with 7-day retention
# Usage: ./backup_rotate.sh /path/to/source

SOURCE="${1:?Usage: $0 /path/to/source}"
BACKUP_DIR="/backups"
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d)
FILENAME="backup-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz"
SNAP_FILE="$BACKUP_DIR/backup.snap"

mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

if [ -f "$SNAP_FILE" ]; then
    echo "Creating incremental backup..."
    tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/$FILENAME" \
        --listed-incremental="$SNAP_FILE" \
        "$SOURCE" 2>/dev/null
else
    echo "Creating full backup..."
    tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/$FILENAME" \
        --listed-incremental="$SNAP_FILE" \
        "$SOURCE" 2>/dev/null
fi

echo "Created: $BACKUP_DIR/$FILENAME"

# Remove backups older than 7 days
echo "Cleaning backups older than 7 days..."
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "backup-*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

echo "Remaining backups:"
ls -lh "$BACKUP_DIR"/backup-*.tar.gz 2>/dev/null

Expected output:

Creating full backup...
Created: /backups/backup-20260620.tar.gz
Cleaning backups older than 7 days...
Remaining backups:
-rw-r--r-- 1 alice alice 312K Jun 14 10:00 /backups/backup-20260614.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 alice alice 312K Jun 15 10:00 /backups/backup-20260615.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 alice alice 312K Jun 16 10:00 /backups/backup-20260616.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 alice alice 312K Jun 17 10:00 /backups/backup-20260617.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 alice alice 312K Jun 18 10:00 /backups/backup-20260618.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 alice alice 312K Jun 19 10:00 /backups/backup-20260619.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 alice alice 312K Jun 20 10:00 /backups/backup-20260620.tar.gz

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