File Archiving and Compression Cheatsheet

file-archiving-compression-cheatsheet.md

Context

Archiving and compression show up everywhere:

• packaging releases
• shipping logs
• backing up data
• moving artifacts between systems

Most workflows rely on a small set of commands, but the flags are easy to forget. This cheatsheet focuses on the combinations you actually use.

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tar (Tape Archive)

Create an archive

Create an uncompressed archive:

tar -cvf archive.tar directory/

Create a gzip-compressed archive:

tar -czvf archive.tar.gz directory/

Create a bzip2-compressed archive:

tar -cjvf archive.tar.bz2 directory/

Create an xz-compressed archive:

tar -cJvf archive.tar.xz directory/

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Extract an archive

Extract a tar archive:

tar -xvf archive.tar

Extract a gzip archive:

tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz

Extract a bzip2 archive:

tar -xjvf archive.tar.bz2

Extract an xz archive:

tar -xJvf archive.tar.xz

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Inspect an archive

List contents without extracting:

tar -tvf archive.tar.gz

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gzip / gunzip

Compress a file:

gzip file.txt

Decompress:

gunzip file.txt.gz

Keep original file:

gzip -k file.txt

Use higher compression:

gzip -9 file.txt

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zip / unzip

Create a zip archive:

zip -r archive.zip directory/

Extract a zip archive:

unzip archive.zip

List zip contents:

unzip -l archive.zip

Exclude files:

zip -r archive.zip directory/ -x "*.log"

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xz

Compress a file:

xz file.txt

Decompress:

unxz file.txt.xz

Use maximum compression:

xz -9 file.txt

xz provides excellent compression but is slower than gzip.

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Choosing the Right Tool

General guidance:

• gzip → speed, wide compatibility
• bzip2 → better compression, slower
• xz → best compression, slowest
• zip → cross-platform compatibility

Compression choice is usually a tradeoff between speed and size.

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Common Patterns

Archive logs with a timestamp:

tar -czvf logs-$(date +%F).tar.gz /var/log

Extract to a specific directory:

tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz -C /tmp

Compress everything except one file type:

tar --exclude="*.tmp" -czvf archive.tar.gz directory/

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Common Mistakes

• Forgetting -z, -j, or -J for compression
• Extracting archives in the wrong directory
• Overusing maximum compression unnecessarily
• Assuming zip preserves permissions like tar

Understanding defaults prevents surprises.

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Practical Tips

• Always inspect before extracting unknown archives
• Use -v when learning; drop it for scripts
• Prefer tar for Linux-native workflows
• Use zip when sharing with non-Unix systems
• Name archives clearly and consistently

Archives are operational tools—clarity matters.

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Takeaways

• tar is the foundation of most Unix archiving
• Compression flags determine format
• Inspecting archives avoids mistakes
• Tool choice depends on speed vs size
• A few patterns cover most real-world use cases

With these commands in muscle memory, archiving becomes routine instead of frustrating.