The tar command creates and extracts archive files on Linux and macOS. Combined with gzip or bzip2, it produces compressed archives widely used for backups and distribution.

Create a Compressed Archive

tar -czvf archive.tar.gz /path/to/folder

Extract an Archive

tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz

Extract to a Specific Directory

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

List Archive Contents

tar -tzvf archive.tar.gz

Create a bzip2 Archive

tar -cjvf archive.tar.bz2 /path/to/folder