File compression and archiving utilities are essential tools in Linux (and Unix-like systems) for reducing file size and bundling multiple files into a single file for easier management and transfer. These tools are crucial for system administrators to efficiently manage storage space and facilitate the transfer of large sets of files. Compression reduces the size of files, making them easier to store and faster to transfer over networks. Archiving combines multiple files into a single file, simplifying file management and backup processes. This document provides an overview of some common tools used for these purposes, including their usage and benefits.
tar is the standard tool, often combined with compression tools.gzip, bzip2, xz, zstd, and 7z provide various levels of compression ratios and speeds.zip and rar are useful for creating archives compatible with non-Linux systems.| Tool | Compression | Archiving | Speed | Compression Ratio | Cross-Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tar | No | Yes | Fast | N/A | Yes | Often combined with other compression tools |
| gzip | Yes | No | Fast | Moderate | Yes | Commonly used with tar |
| bzip2 | Yes | No | Moderate | High | Yes | Better compression than gzip |
| xz | Yes | No | Slow | Very High | Yes | Best compression ratio |
| zip | Yes | Yes | Fast | Moderate | Yes | Widely used, especially in Windows |
| 7z | Yes | Yes | Moderate | Very High | Yes | Supports multiple formats |
| ar | No | Yes | Fast | N/A | No | Used for Debian packages |
| rar | Yes | Yes | Moderate | High | Yes | Proprietary, not default on many distros |
| zstd | Yes | No | Very Fast | High | Yes | Fast compression with good ratios |
tar -cvf archive.tar file1 file2 file3tar -xvf archive.targzip filenamegunzip filename.gztar:
tar -czvf archive.tar.gz file1 file2tar -xzvf archive.tar.gzgzip but generally provides better compression at the cost of speed.bzip2 filenamebunzip2 filename.bz2tar:
bzip2 compressed archive: tar -cjvf archive.tar.bz2 file1 file2tar -xjvf archive.tar.bz2gzip and bzip2.xz filenameunxz filename.xztar:
xz compressed archive: tar -cJvf archive.tar.xz file1 file2tar -xJvf archive.tar.xzzip archive.zip file1 file2unzip archive.zip7z (7-Zip)7z a archive.7z file1 file27z x archive.7zzip and is flexible in handling multiple archive formats.rar and unrarrar a archive.rar file1 file2unrar x archive.rararar rcs archive.a file1 file2ar x archive.azstd (Zstandard)gzip but with better ratios similar to bzip2.zstd filenameunzstd filename.zsttar:
zstd compressed archive: tar --zstd -cvf archive.tar.zst file1 file2tar --zstd -xvf archive.tar.zst