# tar

## Make a `.tar.gz` file of each directory

```bash
find . -maxdepth 1 -mindepth 1 -type d -exec tar cvzf {}.tar.gz {}  \;
```

***

## Backing up the current user's HOME

An approach to backing up the current user's HOME, using `tar(1)` and Gzip compression. Permissions (modes) will be preserved. The filename format will be: `UID:GID_DATE.tgz`

Replace 'DEVICE' with whichever device is applicable to you, but note that it must be in the `/media/USER` (where `USER` is the username) directory, else this won't work, unless you edit the formatting section of `printf`.

```bash
tar -czvpf "$(printf '/media/%s/%s/%d:%d_%(%F)T.tgz' "$USER" 'DEVICE' ${UID:-`id -u`} ${GID:-`id -g`} -1)" "$HOME"
```

***

## How to Backup a specific user's home directory?

Use the following command to take a backup of a user's home directory:

In this example, we will backup our test user – **`'2daygeek`**'s home directory, and the output file will be saved in the \*\* `'/backup'`\*\* directory.

```
# tar -zcvpf /backup/2daygeek-backup-$(date +%d-%m-%Y).tar.gz /home/2daygeek
```

Due to some reason, if you would like to exclude some folders from backing up, then use the following format:

Note: The below example will exclude the entire \*\* `'demo'`\*\* directory and archive the rest of the files and folders.

```
tar --exclude='/home/2daygeek/demo' -zcvpf /backup/2daygeek-backup-$(date +%d-%m-%Y).tar.gz /home/2daygeek
```

Similarly, if you would like to exclude some of the pattern files or group of files, then use the following format:

Note: The below example will exclude the \*\* `'.mp3 & .avi'`\*\* files from \*\* `'demo'`\*\* directory and archive the rest of the files.

```
tar -- **exclude**={'*.mp3','*.avi'} '/home/2daygeek/ **demo**/' -zcvpf /backup/2daygeek-backup-$(date +%d-%m-%Y).tar.gz /home/2daygeek
```

## How to Backup a single user's home directory using shell script?

This shell script allows you to backup the given user's home directory.

To do so, add the following shell script in a file:

```
#!/bin/bash
DATE=$(date +%d-%m-%Y)
BACKUP_DIR="/backup"

#To backup 2daygeek's home directory
tar -zcvpf $BACKUP_DIR/$USER-$DATE.tar.gz /home/$USER

#To delete files older than 10 days
find $BACKUP_DIR/* -mtime +10 -exec rm {} \;
```

***

## `tar` commands

```bash
tar -zcvpf /[Backup_File_Location]/[Backup_Filename] /[User's_Home_Directory_Location]

z : Compress the backup file with ‘gzip’ to make it small size.
c : Create a new backup archive.
v : verbosely list files which are processed.
p : Preserves the permissions of the files put in the archive for later restoration.
f : use archive file or device ARCHIVE.
```

To extract an uncompressed archive: `tar -xvf /path/to/foo.tar`

To extract a .tar in specified directory: `tar -xvf /path/to/foo.tar -C /path/to/destination/`

To create an uncompressed archive: `tar -cvf /path/to/foo.tar /path/to/foo/`

To extract a .tgz or .tar.gz archive: `tar -xzvf /path/to/foo.tgz` `tar -xzvf /path/to/foo.tar.gz`

To create a .tgz or .tar.gz archive: `tar -czvf /path/to/foo.tgz /path/to/foo/` `tar -czvf /path/to/foo.tar.gz /path/to/foo/`

To list the content of an .tgz or .tar.gz archive: `tar -tzvf /path/to/foo.tgz` `tar -tzvf /path/to/foo.tar.gz`


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://chadboyce.gitbook.io/notes/tar.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.