Include hidden files in tar archive

gistfile1.txt

When you create a tar archive of a directory tree the hidden files are normally not included. Here’s how to include the hidden files.

Say you have a web directory called “/var/www/html/mysite/” that contains the following tree:

.htaccess
index.php
logo.jpg
style.css
admin_dir/.htaccess
admin_dir/includes.php
admin_dir/index.php

Normally you would use the tar command like this:

tar czf mysite.tar.gz /var/www/html/mysite/*
This way all files are tarred except the .htaccess files.

The solution to include hidden files: replace the asterisk (*) by a dot (.):

tar czf mysite.tar.gz /var/www/html/mysite/.
This way the .htaccess files are included in the tarfile.

* Borrowed from: http://www.digitesters.com/linux-include-hidden-files-in-tar-archive/

Great explanation. Just what I was looking for to demystify some of behavior of tar. THANK YOU!