Linux is a powerful operating system favored by many due to its high levels of flexibility and control. It’s no surprise that many of the more technical tasks, like extracting tar.gz files, are often performed via Linux’s command line interface.
What is a tar.gz File?
tar.gz files are essentially archives, similar to ZIP files. They contain one or more files that have been compacted to reduce their footprint on disk space. The .tar denotes that the files have been taped together, while the .gz extension indicates they’ve been compressed using gzip.
Extracting tar.gz Files
In order to extract these files, we’ll need to utilize the terminal. To do so, follow these steps:
- Open your terminal. This can typically be done by searching for ‘terminal’ in your applications, or by using the shortcut Ctrl + Alt + T.
- Navigate to the directory containing the tar.gz file you wish to extract. This can be done using the cd (change directory) command:
cd /path/to/directory - Once you’re in the correct directory, you can extract the file using the tar command:
tar -xzf filename.tar.gz
Breaking down the command above, the -xzf options specify to extract (-x) the file, handle it as a gzip (-z), and use the specified file (-f).
After running this command, your tar.gz file will be extracted to the current directory.
In Conclusion
Extracting tar.gz files doesn’t have to be difficult or daunting. With just a few simple commands, Linux provides a straightforward method to accomplish this task. Remember to replace /path/to/directory and filename.tar.gz with your specific directory path and file name when running the commands.
Happy extracting!