1 minute read

Context

Archiving and compression show up everywhere:

  • packaging releases
  • shipping logs
  • backing up data
  • moving artifacts between systems

Most workflows rely on a small set of commands, but the flags are easy to forget. This cheatsheet focuses on the combinations you actually use.

tar (Tape Archive)

Create an archive

Create an uncompressed archive:

tar -cvf archive.tar directory/

Create a gzip-compressed archive:

tar -czvf archive.tar.gz directory/

Create a bzip2-compressed archive:

tar -cjvf archive.tar.bz2 directory/

Create an xz-compressed archive:

tar -cJvf archive.tar.xz directory/

Extract an archive

Extract a tar archive:

tar -xvf archive.tar

Extract a gzip archive:

tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz

Extract a bzip2 archive:

tar -xjvf archive.tar.bz2

Extract an xz archive:

tar -xJvf archive.tar.xz

Inspect an archive

List contents without extracting:

tar -tvf archive.tar.gz

gzip / gunzip

Compress a file:

gzip file.txt

Decompress:

gunzip file.txt.gz

Keep original file:

gzip -k file.txt

Use higher compression:

gzip -9 file.txt

zip / unzip

Create a zip archive:

zip -r archive.zip directory/

Extract a zip archive:

unzip archive.zip

List zip contents:

unzip -l archive.zip

Exclude files:

zip -r archive.zip directory/ -x "*.log"

xz

Compress a file:

xz file.txt

Decompress:

unxz file.txt.xz

Use maximum compression:

xz -9 file.txt

xz provides excellent compression but is slower than gzip.

Choosing the Right Tool

General guidance:

  • gzip → speed, wide compatibility
  • bzip2 → better compression, slower
  • xz → best compression, slowest
  • zip → cross-platform compatibility

Compression choice is usually a tradeoff between speed and size.

Common Patterns

Archive logs with a timestamp:

tar -czvf logs-$(date +%F).tar.gz /var/log

Extract to a specific directory:

tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz -C /tmp

Compress everything except one file type:

tar --exclude="*.tmp" -czvf archive.tar.gz directory/

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting -z, -j, or -J for compression
  • Extracting archives in the wrong directory
  • Overusing maximum compression unnecessarily
  • Assuming zip preserves permissions like tar

Understanding defaults prevents surprises.

Practical Tips

  • Always inspect before extracting unknown archives
  • Use -v when learning; drop it for scripts
  • Prefer tar for Linux-native workflows
  • Use zip when sharing with non-Unix systems
  • Name archives clearly and consistently

Archives are operational tools—clarity matters.

Takeaways

  • tar is the foundation of most Unix archiving
  • Compression flags determine format
  • Inspecting archives avoids mistakes
  • Tool choice depends on speed vs size
  • A few patterns cover most real-world use cases

With these commands in muscle memory, archiving becomes routine instead of frustrating.

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