Extract .tar.gz Files in Linux

What a .tar.gz file is

• .tar means "tape archive". It joins many files and folders into one file.
• .gz means the file is compressed with gzip.

Together, a .tar.gz (or .tgz) file is a compressed bundle of files. It is the most common archive format on Linux.

Extract an archive

tar -xvf filename.tar.gz

• -x extracts the files.
• -v shows the names of the files while it works (verbose).
• -f names the archive file. It must be the last option before the file name.
• -z is optional on modern tar. It tells tar that the archive is gzip compressed: tar -xzvf filename.tar.gz.

Example:

tar -xvf tmux-2.1.tar.gz

Extract into a chosen folder

Use -C and give the folder. The folder must exist:

mkdir -p /opt/myapp
tar -xvf filename.tar.gz -C /opt/myapp

Extract only some files

Name the files or folders you want after the archive name:

tar -xvf data.tar.gz home/

List the content without extracting

tar -tvf archive.tar.gz

Create a .tar.gz file

tar -czvf archive.tar.gz folder_name

Why use .tar.gz

• Smaller size. Compression saves disk space and speeds up downloads.
• Order. Many files become a single file.
• Works everywhere. The tar and gzip tools exist on almost every system.

Quick recap

• tar -xvf file.tar.gz unpacks it.
• Use -C folder to pick the target.
• tar -tvf lists the content first.