git cleanup

data/archives.md

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+---
+title: "Archives"
+tags: [ "archives", "backups" ]
+---
+
+# Create
+
+Combine many files and directories into a single t-archive file.
+
+```sh
+tar cf "$ARCHIVE".tar $DIR
+```
+You can remember this with the mnemonic '*C*reate *F*ile'.
+
+Unfortunately, this stores the full file path, so making a tar archive of `/etc/nginx/` will store `etc/nginx` (without the leading `/`).
+It's often better to tell tar which path to start from using the `-C` flag.
+
+```sh
+tar cf "$ARCHIVE".tar -C /etc/ nginx
+```
+
+Check the contents of your archive with:
+
+```sh
+tar tf "$ARCHIVE".tar
+```
+
+If you want to store 'everything in a directory', then using `*` will not work, because it will target everything in the *current* directory.
+
+Instead, you can store the target in a variable:
+
+```sh
+files=$(ls /etc/nginx)
+tar cf "$ARCHIVE".tar -C /etc/nginx/ $file
+```
+
+# Extract
+
+Extract the tar archive with
+
+```sh
+tar xf "$ARCHIVE".tar
+```
+
+You can remember this with the mnemonic 'e*X*tract *F*ile'.
+
+# Compress
+
+Create a zip-compressed archive with the `z` flag.
+
+```sh
+tar czf "$ARCHIVE".tgz -C /etc/nginx/ $file
+```
+
+You can use any file ending you want, but sane people like to use '.tgz' or '.tar.tgz'.
+