Tar

No need to permanently engrave it on your skin—let’s make a mnemonic that sticks in your brain instead!

Mnemonic for Common tar Commands

"Xtract, Create, View, Zip – My Files Are Tight!"

Command	Meaning	Mnemonic Breakdown
tar -xvf	eXtract	"Xtract my files!"
tar -cvf	Create	"Create a new archive"
tar -tvf	Table of contents (list files)	"Tell me what’s inside"
tar -czvf	Create & Zip (gzip)	"Create, then Zip it up"
tar -xzvf	eXtract & Zip (gzip)	"Xtract the Zipped archive"
tar -cf	Create (no verbose)	"Create Fast"
tar -xf	eXtract (no verbose)	"Xtract Fast"

Bonus Shortcuts

• "X = Extract, C = Create, T = Table" (Core commands)
• "V for Verbose, Z for Zip" (Modifiers)
• "F means File (because tar loves a good FILE!)"

Example Usage with Mnemonic Applied

tar -cvf backup.tar my_folder   # Create (C) a tar file
tar -xvf backup.tar             # Extract (X) the tar file
tar -tvf backup.tar             # Tell (T) me what's inside
tar -czvf backup.tar.gz my_folder  # Create (C) and Zip (Z)
tar -xzvf backup.tar.gz         # Extract (X) the Zipped (Z) archive

Now you can chant it like a spell instead of inking it on your arm! 🎩✨

Why Does tar Take a Long Time to Read Files?

Yes, you nailed it! The main reason tar takes forever to extract a single file is because of how it's structured:

1. "Tape Archive" Mentality – tar was originally designed for tape drives, meaning all files are stored sequentially in a continuous stream (hence "tarball").
2. No Central Index – Unlike .zip or .rar, tar doesn’t have a table of contents at the beginning. Instead, it has to scan through the entire archive to find a specific file.
3. Linear Reading Requirement – Since the files are stored one after another in a single block, extracting the last file means reading through everything before it.
4. Compression Makes It Worse – If the tar file is compressed (e.g., tar.gz), the entire archive has to be decompressed sequentially before even searching for the file.

How to Choose the Best Compression Algorithm for a tar File

Choosing the right compression algorithm depends on speed, file size, and CPU usage. Here's how to decide:

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🚀 Quick Decision Guide

Compression	Command	Best For	Compression Ratio	Compression Speed	Decompression Speed
No Compression (Raw TAR)	tar -cf archive.tar my_folder/	Fastest archiving (but large files)	❌ None	⚡ Fastest	⚡ Fastest
Gzip (.tar.gz)	tar -czf archive.tar.gz my_folder/	Fast, general-purpose compression (logs, backups)	🔥 Low	🚀 Fast	🚀 Fastest
Bzip2 (.tar.bz2)	tar -cjf archive.tar.bz2 my_folder/	Good balance between speed and size	🔥🔥 Medium	🐌 Slow	🐌 Slower
XZ (.tar.xz)	tar -cJf archive.tar.xz my_folder/	Maximum compression, small archives	🔥🔥🔥 High	🐢 Slowest	🚀 Fast
Zstandard (.tar.zst)	tar --zstd -cf archive.tar.zst my_folder/	High-speed compression & decompression	🔥🔥 Medium-High	⚡ Super Fast	⚡ Super Fast
LZ4 (.tar.lz4)	tar --lz4 -cf archive.tar.lz4 my_folder/	Ultra-fast compression (temporary files, quick storage)	🔥 Low	⚡⚡ Insanely Fast	⚡⚡ Insanely Fast

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🔍 How to Choose Based on Use Case

• Need fastest compression? → tar.gz or tar.zst
• Need smallest file size? → tar.xz
• Need balanced speed & compression? → tar.bz2 or tar.zst
• Need real-time compression (logging, backups)? → tar.lz4 or tar.zst

TL;DR:

• For general use: .tar.gz (good speed & compatibility).
• For distribution & software packages: .tar.xz (best size reduction).
• For modern systems & real-time speed: .tar.zst.

🚀 Now go forth and compress wisely!