This article explains what TAR files are and how they differ from other archive formats, what programs can extract files from TAR files, and how to convert TAR files to similar archive formats.
Zip and Tar.gz files explained and compared (archiving and the DEFLATE algorithm)
Short for Tape Archive, and sometimes referred to as a tarball, a file with the TAR file extension is a file in the Consolidated Unix Archive format. A program or command capable of opening archives is needed to open a TAR file.
Because the TAR file format is used to store multiple files into a single file, it is a popular method for both archiving purposes and for sending multiple files over the Internet, such as for downloading software.
The TAR file format is common in Linux and Unix systems, but only for storing data, not for compressing it. TAR files are often compressed after creation, but then become TGZ files, with the extension TGZ, TAR.GZ, or GZ.
