Linux Archives and Compression Guide

# Create archive
tar -cf archive.tar files/

# Create with verbose output
tar -cvf archive.tar files/

# Create and compress with gzip
tar -czf archive.tar.gz files/

# Create and compress with bzip2
tar -cjf archive.tar.bz2 files/

# Create and compress with xz
tar -cJf archive.tar.xz files/

# Archive multiple items
tar -czf backup.tar.gz /etc /var/www

# Archive with exclusions
tar -czf backup.tar.gz --exclude='*.log' /var/log

# Extract archive
tar -xf archive.tar

# Extract with verbose output
tar -xvf archive.tar

# Extract gzipped tar
tar -xzf archive.tar.gz

# Extract bzipped tar
tar -xjf archive.tar.bz2

# Extract xz tar
tar -xJf archive.tar.xz

# Extract to specific directory
tar -xzf archive.tar.gz -C /destination/

# Extract specific files
tar -xzf archive.tar.gz path/to/file

# List contents
tar -tf archive.tar

# List with details
tar -tvf archive.tar

# List gzipped tar
tar -tzf archive.tar.gz

# Search for file in archive
tar -tzf archive.tar.gz | grep filename

# Append files to archive
tar -rf archive.tar newfiles/

# Update archive with newer files
tar -uf archive.tar files/

# Archive with timestamps
tar -czf backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /data

# Preserve permissions and ownership
tar -czpf archive.tar.gz /path

# Follow symbolic links
tar -czf archive.tar.gz -h /path

# Split large archive
tar -czf - /large/dir | split -b 100M - archive.tar.gz.
# Reconstruct: cat archive.tar.gz.* | tar -xzf -

# Compress file (removes original)
gzip file.txt

# Compress and keep original
gzip -k file.txt

# Compress with best compression
gzip -9 file.txt

# Compress with fastest  compression
gzip -1 file.txt

# Compress multiple files
gzip file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

# Compress recursively
gzip -r directory/

# Verbose output
gzip -v file.txt

# Decompress file
gunzip file.txt.gz

# Decompress alternative
gzip -d file.txt.gz

# Decompress and keep original
gunzip -k file.txt.gz

# Decompress to stdout
gunzip -c file.txt.gz

# View compressed file without extracting
zcat file.txt.gz
zless file.txt.gz
zgrep "pattern" file.txt.gz

# Compress file
bzip2 file.txt

# Keep original
bzip2 -k file.txt

# Best compression
bzip2 -9 file.txt

# Multiple files
bzip2 file1.txt file2.txt

# Verbose
bzip2 -v file.txt

# Decompress
bunzip2 file.txt.bz2

# Alternative
bzip2 -d file.txt.bz2

# Keep original
bunzip2 -k file.txt.bz2

# View without extracting
bzcat file.txt.bz2
bzless file.txt.bz2
bzgrep "pattern" file.txt.bz2

# Compress file
xz file.txt

# Keep original
xz -k file.txt

# Maximum compression
xz -9 file.txt

# Fast compression
xz -1 file.txt

# Multiple threads
xz -T4 file.txt

# Verbose output
xz -v file.txt

# Decompress
unxz file.txt.xz

# Alternative
xz -d file.txt.xz

# Keep original
unxz -k file.txt.xz

# View without extracting
xzcat file.txt.xz
xzless file.txt.xz
xzgrep "pattern" file.txt.xz

# Create zip archive
zip archive.zip file1 file2 file3

# Archive directory recursively
zip -r archive.zip directory/

# Maximum compression
zip -9 archive.zip files

# Encrypt zip archive
zip -e -r secure.zip directory/
# Will prompt for password

# Exclude files
zip -r archive.zip directory/ -x "*.log"

# Update existing archive
zip -u archive.zip newfile.txt

# Show progress
zip -r archive.zip directory/ -v

# Split zip archive
zip -r -s 100m archive.zip largedir/

# Extract zip archive
unzip archive.zip

# Extract to specific directory
unzip archive.zip -d /destination/

# List contents without extracting
unzip -l archive.zip

# Test archive integrity
unzip -t archive.zip

# Extract specific files
unzip archive.zip file1.txt file2.txt

# Extract with pattern
unzip archive.zip "*.txt"

# Overwrite without prompting
unzip -o archive.zip

# Never overwrite
unzip -n archive.zip

# Quiet extraction
unzip -q archive.zip

# Install 7zip
sudo apt install p7zip-full

# Create archive
7z a archive.7z files/

# Maximum compression
7z a -mx=9 archive.7z files/

# Encrypt archive
7z a -p archive.7z files/
# Will prompt for password

# Split archive
7z a -v100m archive.7z largedir/

# Archive with specific format
7z a -tzip archive.zip files/

# Extract archive
7z x archive.7z

# Extract to specific directory
7z x archive.7z -o/destination/

# Extract without directory structure
7z e archive.7z

# List contents
7z l archive.7z

# Test archive
7z t archive.7z

# Test file: 100MB
Original:     100.0 MB
gzip:          25.3 MB  (74% reduction) - Fast
bzip2:         18.7 MB  (81% reduction) - Medium
xz:            15.2 MB  (85% reduction) - Slow
7z (LZMA2):    14.8 MB  (85% reduction) - Slowest

# Compression speed (100MB file)
gzip:    3s   (fastest)
bzip2:   8s   (medium)
xz:      25s  (slow)
7z:      30s  (slowest)

# Decompression speed
gzip:    1s   (fastest)
bzip2:   4s   (fast)
xz:      2s   (fast)
7z:      3s   (fast)

#!/bin/bash
# Daily backup script
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d)
BACKUP_DIR="/backup"
SOURCE="/var/www"

tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/website-$DATE.tar.gz" "$SOURCE"

# Keep only last 7 days
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "website-*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

# Full backup
tar -czf full-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /data

# Incremental backup (files modified today)
tar -czf incremental-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz \
    --newer-mtime="1 day ago" /data

# With zip
zip -e -r backup.zip /important-data/

# With tar and gpg
tar -czf - /data | gpg -c > backup.tar.gz.gpg

# Decrypt and extract
gpg -d backup.tar.gz.gpg | tar -xzf -

# Backup to remote server
tar -czf - /data | ssh user@remote 'cat > backup.tar.gz'

# Backup from remote server
ssh user@remote 'tar -czf - /data' > backup.tar.gz

# With timestamp
tar -czf - /data | ssh user@remote \
    "cat > backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz"

# Test tar archive
tar -tzf archive.tar.gz > /dev/null && echo "OK" || echo "CORRUPT"

# Test zip archive
unzip -t archive.zip

# Test 7z archive
7z t archive.7z

# Test gzip file
gzip -t file.gz

# Attempt to recover damaged gzip
gzip -d -c damaged.gz > recovered.txt 2>/dev/null

# Extract partial tar archive
tar -xzf damaged.tar.gz --ignore-command-error

# Recover zip archive
zip -F broken.zip --out fixed.zip
zip -FF broken.zip --out fixed.zip  # More aggressive

# tar.gz to tar.bz2
gunzip -c archive.tar.gz | bzip2 > archive.tar.bz2

# tar.gz to tar.xz
gunzip -c archive.tar.gz | xz > archive.tar.xz

# zip to tar.gz
unzip -p archive.zip | tar -czf archive.tar.gz -T -

# Fast compression (backups)
tar -czf --fast archive.tar.gz files/

# Balanced (general use)
tar -czf archive.tar.gz files/

# Maximum compression (distribution)
tar -cJf archive.tar.xz files/

# Parallel compression with pigz
tar -cf - files/ | pigz > archive.tar.gz

# Parallel xz compression
tar -cf - files/ | xz -T0 > archive.tar.xz

# Create archives
tar -czf archive.tar.gz files/    # tar + gzip
tar -cjf archive.tar.bz2 files/   # tar + bzip2
tar -cJf archive.tar.xz files/    # tar + xz
zip -r archive.zip files/         # zip
7z a archive.7z files/            # 7z

# Extract archives
tar -xzf archive.tar.gz           # tar.gz
tar -xjf archive.tar.bz2          # tar.bz2
tar -xJf archive.tar.xz           # tar.xz
unzip archive.zip                 # zip
7z x archive.7z                   # 7z

# View contents
tar -tzf archive.tar.gz           # tar
unzip -l archive.zip              # zip
7z l archive.7z                   # 7z

# Compress single file
gzip file.txt                     # gzip
bzip2 file.txt                    # bzip2
xz file.txt                       # xz

# Decompress single file
gunzip file.txt.gz                # gunzip
bunzip2 file.txt.bz2              # bunzip2
unxz file.txt.xz                  # unxz