Extract tar.gz File

Q. How do I extract tar.gz file under Linux / UNIX like operating systems?

A. tar.gz is nothing but compressed tar archive.

The tar program provides the ability to create tar archives, as well as various other kinds of manipulation. For example, you can use Tar on previously created archives to extract files, to store additional files, or to update or list files which were already stored.

Initially, tar archives were used to store files conveniently on magnetic tape. The name "Tar" comes from this use; it stands for tape archiver. Despite the utility's name, Tar can direct its output to available devices, files, or other programs (using pipes), it can even access remote devices or files (as archives).

Extract tr.gz. file

To extract one or more members from an archive, enter:
tar -zxvf {file.tar.gz}
If your tarball name is backup.tar.gz, enter the following at a shell prompt:
tar -zxvf backup.tar.gz

Extracting an Entire Archive

To extract an entire archive, specify the archive file name only, with no individual file names as arguments.
tar -zxvf backup.tar.gz