How to create and extract tar archives in Linux - Rocketeers app [ Rocketeers ](/) [Login](https://rocketeersapp.com/login) On this page Knowledge --------- How to create and extract tar archives in Linux =============================================== ### [\#CommandLine](https://rocketeersapp.com/knowledge/command-line) Create, compress, list and extract tar archives in Linux — including .tar.gz files, extracting to a directory and pulling out a single file from an archive. Published by [Mark van Eijk](https://rocketeersapp.com/author/mark-van-eijk) on June 23, 2026 · 1 minute read 1. [Working with tar archives](#content-working-with-tar-archives) 2. [Create an archive](#content-create-an-archive) 3. [Create a compressed .tar.gz](#content-create-a-compressed-targz) 4. [Extract an archive](#content-extract-an-archive) 5. [Extract to a specific directory](#content-extract-to-a-specific-directory) 6. [List the contents](#content-list-the-contents) 7. [Extract a single file](#content-extract-a-single-file) 8. [Putting it together](#content-putting-it-together) [\#](#content-working-with-tar-archives "Permalink")Working with tar archives ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- `tar` bundles many files and directories into a single archive file, optionally compressed. I use it constantly for backups, releases and moving directories between servers. The flags look cryptic at first, but they're just letters you combine. The ones you'll use most: - `c` — create a new archive - `x` — extract an archive - `t` — list the contents - `v` — verbose, print each file as it's processed - `f` — the next argument is the archive filename (always needed) - `z` — pass the archive through gzip compression [\#](#content-create-an-archive "Permalink")Create an archive ------------------------------------------------------------- Bundle a directory into a `.tar` file with `c`, `v` and `f`: ``` tar -cvf backup.tar ./project ``` This creates `backup.tar` containing the `project` directory, printing each file as it goes. [\#](#content-create-a-compressed-targz "Permalink")Create a compressed .tar.gz ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Add `z` to gzip the archive as it's built. The convention is to name it `.tar.gz` (or `.tgz`): ``` tar -czvf backup.tar.gz ./project ``` Compressed archives are much smaller and the standard choice for backups or transferring over the network. [\#](#content-extract-an-archive "Permalink")Extract an archive --------------------------------------------------------------- Swap `c` for `x` to extract. For an uncompressed archive: ``` tar -xvf backup.tar ``` For a gzip-compressed one, add `z` again: ``` tar -xzvf backup.tar.gz ``` Modern versions of `tar` actually detect the compression automatically, so `tar -xvf backup.tar.gz` usually works too — but being explicit with `z` never hurts. [\#](#content-extract-to-a-specific-directory "Permalink")Extract to a specific directory ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By default files land in the current directory. Use `-C` to extract somewhere else (the target directory must already exist): ``` tar -xzvf backup.tar.gz -C /var/www/releases ``` [\#](#content-list-the-contents "Permalink")List the contents ------------------------------------------------------------- Before extracting an archive someone handed you, it's worth peeking inside with `t`. This lists every entry without unpacking anything: ``` tar -tvf backup.tar.gz ``` [\#](#content-extract-a-single-file "Permalink")Extract a single file --------------------------------------------------------------------- You don't have to unpack the whole thing. Name the exact path (as shown by the listing above) after the archive to pull out just that file: ``` tar -xzvf backup.tar.gz project/config/app.php ``` This recreates only `project/config/app.php` relative to your current directory. [\#](#content-putting-it-together "Permalink")Putting it together ----------------------------------------------------------------- Once the letters click, `tar` reads naturally: `-czvf` is "create, gzip, verbose, file" and `-xzvf` is "extract, gzip, verbose, file". Those two cover the large majority of what you'll ever need. ### Subscribe to our newsletter Do you want to receive regular updates with fresh and exclusive content to learn more about web development, hosting, security and performance? Subscribe now! 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