tarbz2Archive

tarbz2Archive is a file format that combines the functionality of the tar archiving utility with the bzip2 compression algorithm. The tar utility creates a single archive file from multiple files and directories, preserving their structure and metadata. The bzip2 algorithm is a data compression utility that employs a hybrid algorithm, typically achieving higher compression ratios than older methods like gzip, though often at the cost of slower compression and decompression speeds.

When files are archived into a tar file and then compressed with bzip2, the resulting file is often referred to as a tarbz2 archive, or a .tar.bz2 file. This format is commonly used on Unix-like operating systems for distributing software, backing up data, or transferring large collections of files efficiently. The process involves first creating a .tar file and then applying bzip2 compression to that .tar file. Decompression typically involves decompressing the .tar.bz2 file using bzip2 to obtain the original .tar file, and then extracting the contents of the .tar file using the tar utility. Many command-line tools and graphical archiving applications support the tarbz2 format, making it widely accessible.