Compressing directories full of files is a common task in Linux systems, including Ubuntu. One of the most efficient ways to achieve this is by using the tar and xz commands in combination. In this article, we will explore how to use these commands to compress a directory full of files on Ubuntu.

Introduction to tar and xz

tar (tape archive) is a command-line utility used to create, manipulate, and extract archived files. It is commonly used to compress and decompress files and directories. On the other hand, xz is a compression utility that uses the LZMA2 algorithm to achieve high compression ratios. When used together, tar and xz provide a powerful and efficient way to compress directories full of files.

Compressing a Directory Using tar and xz

To compress a directory full of files using tar and xz, follow these steps:

1. Open the terminal: Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open the terminal on your Ubuntu system.


2. Navigate to the directory: Use the cd command to navigate to the directory that you want to compress. For example: cd /path/to/directory


3. Use the tar command: Run the following command to create a tar archive of the directory: tar -cvf directory.tar /path/to/directory
   
   
   
   • -c creates a new archive
   
   
   • -v verbosely lists the files being processed
   
   
   • -f specifies the output file name
   
   
   
   


4. Compress the archive using xz: Run the following command to compress the tar archive using xz: xz -z directory.tar
   
   
   
   • -z compresses the file using the LZMA2 algorithm
   
   
   
   


5. Verify the compression: Run the following command to verify the compression: ls -lh directory.tar.xz
   
   
   
   • This will display the size of the compressed file
   
   
   
   

Example Command

Here is an example command that combines the above steps:

tar -cvf directory.tar /path/to/directory && xz -z directory.tar

This command creates a tar archive of the directory, compresses it using xz, and removes the original tar file.

Tips and Variations

• Specify the compression level: You can specify the compression level using the -0 to -9 options, where -0 is the fastest and -9 is the most compressed. For example: xz -z -9 directory.tar


• Use the -J option: The -J option tells xz to use the LZMA2 algorithm, which is the default. You can also use the -Z option to specify a different algorithm.


• Compress multiple directories: You can compress multiple directories by listing them separately in the tar command. For example: tar -cvf directories.tar /path/to/directory1 /path/to/directory2

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored how to compress a directory full of files using tar and xz on Ubuntu. By following the steps outlined above, you can efficiently compress directories and save disk space. The tar and xz commands provide a powerful and flexible way to manage compressed files and directories on Linux systems. For more information on using tar and xz, you can refer to the official documentation.

Reference

• How to Compress a Directory Full of Files Using tar and xz on the Terminal in Ubuntu