tar with compression (-z, -j, -J) in Linux CLI - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to create a gzip compressed archive named archive.tar.gz of the folder myfolder.

Linux CLI

tar [1] -cf archive.tar.gz myfolder

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A-x

B-j

C-J

D-z

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using -j which is for bzip2 compression.

Using -J which is for xz compression.

Using -x which extracts files instead of creating.

The -z option tells tar to use gzip compression when creating the archive.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to extract a bzip2 compressed archive named data.tar.bz2.

Linux CLI

tar [1] -xf data.tar.bz2

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A-c

B-j

C-J

D-z

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using -z which is for gzip compression.

Using -J which is for xz compression.

Using -c which creates archives instead of extracting.

The -j option tells tar to use bzip2 compression when extracting the archive.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to create an xz compressed archive named backup.tar.xz of the folder docs.

Linux CLI

tar -cf backup.tar.xz [1] docs

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A-z

B-j

C-J

D-x

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using -z which is for gzip compression.

Using -j which is for bzip2 compression.

Using -x which extracts files instead of creating.

The -J option tells tar to use xz compression when creating the archive.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a gzip compressed archive named project.tar.gz from the folder project.

Linux CLI

tar [1] -[2]f project.tar.gz project

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A-z

Bc

Cx

D-j

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using -j for gzip compression.

Using x instead of c to create the archive.

Use -z for gzip compression and c to create the archive.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to extract a bzip2 compressed archive named logs.tar.bz2.

Linux CLI

tar [1] -[2]f logs.tar.bz2 [3]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A-j

Bx

C-v

D-z

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using -z for bzip2 compression.

Using c instead of x to extract.

Omitting verbose option if needed.

Use -j for bzip2 compression, x to extract, and -v for verbose output.

Practice

1. Which option correctly describes the -z flag when used with the tar command?

easy

A. It compresses the archive using gzip.

B. It compresses the archive using bzip2.

C. It compresses the archive using xz.

D. It creates an uncompressed archive.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the tar compression flags

   The -z flag tells tar to use gzip compression.

2. Step 2: Match the flag to the compression type

   -z is for gzip, -j for bzip2, and -J for xz compression.

3. Final Answer:

   It compresses the archive using gzip. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   -z means gzip compression [OK]

Hint: Remember: z = gzip, j = bzip2, J = xz [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing -z with -j or -J
• Thinking -z creates uncompressed archive
• Mixing compression types

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to create a bzip2 compressed tar archive named backup.tar.bz2 from the directory data?

easy

A. tar -cJf backup.tar.bz2 data

B. tar -czf backup.tar.bz2 data

C. tar -cjf backup.tar.bz2 data

D. tar -cf backup.tar.bz2 data

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the compression flag for bzip2

   The -j flag is used for bzip2 compression.

2. Step 2: Check the full command syntax

   tar -cjf backup.tar.bz2 data creates a bzip2 compressed archive named backup.tar.bz2 from data.

3. Final Answer:

   tar -cjf backup.tar.bz2 data -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   -j means bzip2 compression [OK]

Hint: Use -j for bzip2 compression in tar commands [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using -z instead of -j for bzip2
• Forgetting the 'f' flag for filename
• Mixing compression flags and extensions

3. What will be the output of the following command if the directory project contains files and subdirectories?

tar -cJf project.tar.xz project

medium

A. Creates an uncompressed tar archive named project.tar.xz

B. Creates an xz compressed tar archive named project.tar.xz

C. Creates a gzip compressed tar archive named project.tar.xz

D. Throws an error because -J is invalid

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the -J flag

   The -J flag tells tar to use xz compression.

2. Step 2: Analyze the command output

   The command creates a compressed archive named project.tar.xz using xz compression from the project directory.

3. Final Answer:

   Creates an xz compressed tar archive named project.tar.xz -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   -J means xz compression [OK]

Hint: Remember: -J compresses with xz, matching .tar.xz files [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking -J is invalid
• Confusing -J with -z or -j
• Assuming no compression happens

4. You run the command tar -cjf archive.tar.gz folder but get an error. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. The -f flag is missing

B. The -c flag is missing

C. The -j flag cannot be combined with .tar.gz extension

D. The folder does not exist

Solution

1. Step 1: Verify the flags and syntax

   The command has all required flags: -c for create, -j for bzip2, -f for file.

2. Step 2: Identify the likely error source

   tar will error if the source folder does not exist, typically with "Cannot stat: No such file or directory".

3. Final Answer:

   The folder does not exist -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Check source exists before tar [OK]

Hint: Always verify source directory exists before archiving [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming flag or extension issues
• Overlooking if folder exists
• Focusing on compression mismatch

5. You want to create a compressed archive of the logs directory using the best compression ratio available with tar. Which command should you use?

hard

A. tar -cJf logs.tar.xz logs

B. tar -cjf logs.tar.bz2 logs

C. tar -czf logs.tar.gz logs

D. tar -cf logs.tar logs

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify compression types and their ratios

   Gzip (-z) is fast but less compressed, bzip2 (-j) is better, and xz (-J) offers the best compression ratio.

2. Step 2: Choose the best compression flag

   Using -cJf creates an xz compressed archive, which has the best compression ratio.

3. Final Answer:

   tar -cJf logs.tar.xz logs -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Best compression = xz = -J flag [OK]

Hint: Use -J for best compression with tar [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing gzip or bzip2 for best compression
• Forgetting compression flag
• Using uncompressed tar by mistake