Archive Management
Archiving:
Grouping files together in single file, maintaining the directory structure
To manage archives in Linux below commands are used
| Tool | Description | Common Extension | Compression Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
tar | Standard archiver, used to group files | .tar | ❌ No | Can be combined with compressors (gzip, xz, etc.) |
cpio | Archives files from input (e.g., find command) | .cpio | ❌ No | Often used in initramfs creation |
ar | Used to archive object files (libraries) | .a | ❌ No | Common in C/C++ development |
pax | POSIX archiver, supports multiple formats | .pax | ❌ No (default) | Can be configured for compression |
shar | Shell archive – creates self-extracting script | .sh | ❌ No | Legacy; embeds files in shell script |