tarxz

Tar.xz is a file archive format that combines a tar archive with xz compression. A tar archive bundles multiple files and directories into a single stream while preserving metadata such as permissions and timestamps. The xz compression layer provides high compression ratios, typically yielding smaller files than gzip or bzip2 for many data types. Files compressed this way usually carry the extensions .tar.xz or .txz.

To create a tar.xz archive, a typical command is: tar -cJf archive.tar.xz /path/to/directory. To extract: tar -xJf archive.tar.xz -C /target/directory. Listing contents: tar -tf archive.tar.xz. Note that some implementations accept automatic compression detection, so tar -xvf archive.tar.xz may also work on systems with newer tar, but it is more portable to use -J or --xz explicitly.

Tar.xz archives are widely used on Unix-like systems for distributing source code and software packages due to their good compression. They are distinct from .xz files that compress a single file without tar packaging.

Limitations include the need for a compatible tar/xz toolchain, and the fact that compression with xz can be slower and more CPU-intensive than gzip, especially for large archives. Additionally, extraction is generally safe when obtained from trusted sources, but as with any archive, there can be path traversal or symlink vulnerabilities if extracts are run in an untrusted directory.

See also: tar, xz, gzip, bzip2, zip.