# compress
tar -czvf projects.tar.gz projects/
# extract
tar -xzvf projects.tar.gz
-c, --create
create a new archive
-x, --extract, --get
extract files from an archive
-z, --gzip, --gunzip --ungzip
-v, --verbose
verbosely list files processed
-f, --file ARCHIVE
use archive file or device ARCHIVE
tar [-] A --catenate --concatenate | c --create | d --diff --compare | --delete | r --append | t --list |
--test-label | u --update | x --extract --get [options] [pathname ...]
tar -xvzf community_images.tar.gz
Also, to extract in a specific directory
for eg. to extract the archive into a custom my_images directory .
tar -xvzf community_images.tar.gz -C my_images
cd ~/Downloads/archive.tar.gz #first navigate to file location
tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz -C /path/to/new/directory/
#-C flag will change the extraction to a new directory.
#remove -C if you want to extract it to current location.
Install .tar.gz or (.tar.bz2) File
Installing a .tar.gz or (.tar.bz2) file is very easy. Ubuntu users can extract the .tar.gz file and compile a program from its source. Follow the steps given below to extract and install tar.gz files in Ubuntu.
It is wise to navigate to the downloaded .tar.bz folder and open and read the README file. It normally has the installation instructions. If not, you can install .tar.gz or (.tar.bz2) file via Terminal.
Download the desired .tar.gz or (.tar.bz2) file
Open Terminal
Extract the .tar.gz or (.tar.bz2) file with the following commands
tar xvzf PACKAGENAME.tar.gz
tar xvjf PACKAGENAME.tar.bz2
Navigate to the extracted folder using cd command
cd PACKAGENAME
Now run the following command to install the tarball
./configure
make
sudo make install