The tar command is a cornerstone utility for Linux users, providing powerful features for archiving and managing files. Short for “tape archive,” tar has its roots in creating backups on magnetic tape drives but has evolved into a versatile tool for packaging files and directories into single archive files, often with integrated compression.
What is tar?
The tar utility creates and extracts archives—collections of files stored together in a single file. These archives are not inherently compressed, but tar is commonly paired with compression tools like gzip, bzip2, or xz to produce compact, compressed archives.
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