A .tar file, short for “tape archive”, is a type of file format used for archiving multiple files into a single file, often used in Unix-based operating systems for backup and distribution purposes.
Sometimes as you can see files with a slightly different archiving system such as a tar.bz2 or tar. Here are some quick commands for extraction:
| File Format | Command |
|---|---|
| .tar | tar xf file.tar |
| .tar.gz | tar -zxvf file.tar.gz |
| .tar.bz2 | tar xjf file.tar.bz2 |