Master Essential Linux Commands: ar, bunzip2, gzip, tar and More

Linux ar command

The ar command creates or modifies archive files, or extracts files from an archive. It can combine many files into a single archive while preserving original attributes and permissions.

Syntax

ar [-dmpqrtx] [cfosSuvV] [a<member_file>] [b<member_file>] [i<member_file>] [archive_file] [member_files]

Linux bunzip2 command

The bunzip2 command decompresses .bz2 files. It is a symbolic link to bzip2 -d and shares the same options.

Syntax

bunzip2 [-fkLsvV] [.bz2_file]

Parameters

-f

or --force: overwrite existing files. -k or --keep: keep the original compressed file. -s or --small: reduce memory usage. -v or --verbose: show detailed processing information. -l, --license, -V or --version: display version information.

Example

# bunzip2 -v temp.bz2   // decompress with verbose output

Linux bzip2 command

The bzip2 command compresses files using a block‑sorting algorithm that typically yields better compression ratios than traditional LZ77/LZ78 methods. By default it creates a .bz2 file and removes the original.

Syntax

bzip2 [-cdfhkLstvVz] [compression_level] [files...]

Linux bzip2recover command

The bzip2recover command attempts to recover data from a damaged .bz2 archive by extracting undamaged blocks, useful for large compressed files.

Syntax

bzip2recover [bz2_file]

Linux gunzip command

The gunzip command decompresses files that were compressed with gzip. It is a hard link to gzip, so both compression and decompression can be performed with gzip options.

Syntax

gunzip [-acfhlLnNqrtvV] [-s suffix] [files...]

Linux unarj command

The unarj command extracts files from .arj archives.

Syntax

unarj [eltx] [arj_file]

Linux compress command

The compress command is an older Unix utility that creates .Z compressed files; modern systems usually prefer gzip.

Syntax

compress [-dfvcV] [-b maxbits] [file ...]

Linux cpio command

The cpio command copies files to and from archive files, often used for backups.

Syntax

cpio [-0aABckLovV] [-C size] [-F backup_file] [-H format] [-O output_file] [options] [files...]

Linux dump command

The dump command backs up file systems to a specified device or file.

Syntax

dump [-cnu] [-b blocksize] [-B blockcount] [-d density] [-f device] [-h level] [-s length] [-T date] [directory|filesystem]

Linux uuencode command

The uuencode command converts binary files to a 7‑bit ASCII representation for transmission over protocols that only support text.

Syntax

uuencode [options] [file ...] <output_file>

Linux gzexe command

The gzexe command compresses executable files; when run, the file automatically decompresses and executes.

Syntax

gzexe [-d] executable_file...

Linux gzip command

The gzip command compresses files, appending a .gz extension.

Syntax

gzip [-acdfhlLnNqrtvV] [-S suffix] [files...]

Linux lha command

The lha command compresses or decompresses files, producing .lzh archives.

Syntax

lha [-acdfglmnpqtuvx] [options] [files...]

Linux restore command

The restore command restores files or entire file systems from backups created with dump.

Syntax

restore [-cCvy] [-b blocksize] [-D filesystem] [-f backup_file] [-s file_number] [files...]

Linux tar command

The tar command creates and extracts archive files, commonly used for backups.

Syntax

tar [-ABcdgGhiklmMoOpPrRsStuUvwWxzZ] [-b blockcount] [-C directory] [-f archive_file] [options] [files...]

Linux uudecode command

The uudecode command reverses uuencode, restoring the original binary file from the encoded text.

Syntax

uudecode [options] [file ...]

Linux unzip command

The unzip command extracts files from .zip archives.

Syntax

unzip [-cflptuvz] [-agCjLMnoqsVX] [-P password] zipfile [files...] [-d directory] [-x pattern]

Linux zip command

The zip command compresses files into a .zip archive.

Syntax

zip [-AcdfghjJKlLmoqrSTuvVwXyz$] [-b work_dir] [-ll] [-n suffix] [-t datetime] [files...]

Linux zipinfo command

The zipinfo command lists detailed information about .zip archives.

Syntax

zipinfo [-12hlmMstTvz] zipfile [files...] [-x pattern]