how-can-i-decide-between-using-tar-gzip-and-bzip--for-compressing-files.md

How can I decide between using tar gzip and bzip2 for compressing files?

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When deciding between using tar gzip and bzip2 for compressing files, there are a few factors to consider.

Example Code

tar -czvf file.tar.gz file
tar -cjvf file.tar.bz2 file

Explanation

The -c flag is used to create an archive, the -z flag is used to compress with gzip, and the -j flag is used to compress with bzip2.

Output

No output.

Pros and Cons

Gzip is generally faster to compress and decompress, but bzip2 produces a smaller compressed file size. Gzip is more widely used and supported, but bzip2 is better suited for compressing large files.

Relevant Links

GNU Tar Manual

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