tar
Verified for v1.35 LTS
Tar Command: Extract A Compressed Archive File Into The Target Directory
An engineer would use this tar command when they need to extract a compressed archive file containing project files or software libraries into a specified target directory on a Unix-like system. Exact CLI syntax to extract a compressed archive file into the target directory using Tar.
When to use this: An engineer would use this tar command when they need to extract a compressed archive file containing project files or software libraries into a specified target directory on a Unix-like system.
Command Syntax
tar xf <path/to/source.tar[.gz|.bz2|.xz]> -C <path/to/directory>tar xf <path/to/source.tar[.gz|.bz2|.xz]> -C <path/to/directory>Command Breakdown
-C- Directory
- Changes to the target directory before running the archive operation.
FAQ
Purpose: Exact syntax to extract a compressed archive file into the target directory using Tar.
Test path: Replace placeholders and run destructive commands in a disposable workspace first.
Flag behavior: Tool version, platform, and shell can change behavior.
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Related Operations
Tar Command: Create An Archive And Write It To A File
tar cf <path/to/target.tar> <path/to/file1 path/to/file2 ...> Tar Command: Create A Gzipped Archive From A Directory Using Relative Paths tar czf <path/to/target.tar.gz> -C <path/to/directory> . Tar Command: Create A Compressed Archive And Write It To A File Using The File Extension To Automatically Determine The Compression Program tar caf <path/to/target.tar.xz> <path/to/file1 path/to/file2 ...> Tar Command: Extract Files Matching A Pattern From An Archive File tar xf <path/to/source.tar> --wildcards "<*.html>" Tar Command: Create A Gzipped Archive And Write It To A File tar czf <path/to/target.tar.gz> <path/to/file1 path/to/file2 ...> Alternative Approaches
Alternative tools for similar operation intents.
7z Command: Set Compression Level
7z a <path/to/archive.7z> -mx=<0|1|3|5|7|9> <path/to/file_or_directory> 7zr Command: Set Compression Level 7zr a <path/to/archive.7z> -mx=<0|1|3|5|7|9> <path/to/file_or_directory> 7za Command: Set Compression Level 7za a <path/to/archive.7z> -mx=<0|1|3|5|7|9> <path/to/file_or_directory> 7zr Command: Set Compression Level 7zr a <path/to/archive.7z> -mx=<0|1|3|5|7|9> <path/to/file_or_directory> Afconvert Command: Use Specific Compression Level afconvert -X<0..7> <path/to/input_file> <path/to/output_file1 path/to/output_file2 ...>