cli-tarHow do I compress a directory using Unix tar gz?

Compressing a directory using Unix tar gz is a very straightforward process. First, navigate to the directory you wish to compress. Then, run the following command in the terminal:

tar -zcvf <target>.tar.gz <source>

This command will create a new file called <target>.tar.gz in the same directory that contains the compressed version of the <source> directory.

Here is a breakdown of the parts of the command:

• tar: the Unix command for archiving files
• -zcvf: flags for the command, which stand for:
  • -z: compress the archive using gzip
  • -c: create a new archive
  • -v: verbose output
  • -f: use an archive file
• <target>.tar.gz: the name of the archive file that will be created
• <source>: the directory to be compressed

For more information about the tar command, refer to the GNU tar manual.

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