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Asked: 2024-09-27T05:45:32+05:30 In:

How can I compress two separate files into a single gzipped file on a Linux system?

I’ve been trying to wrap my head around how to compress two separate files into a single gzipped file on my Linux system, and I could really use some help. Here’s the situation: I have these two files that I need to send to a colleague, and I’d prefer to send them as one compressed file rather than two separate ones. I’ve heard that using gzip is a great option for reducing file size, but I’m not completely sure how to combine the two files first before applying the gzip compression.

I initially thought about just creating a tarball, which I know can package multiple files together, but then I got a bit lost with the gzip part. I’ve come across a few commands that seem to do the job, but I’m worried I might not be doing it right, and I don’t want to bungle this up since my colleague is expecting the files in a specific format.

Could someone explain the steps I need to take? Do I need to use tar or can I just pipe the files together and then use gzip? Also, are there any specific flags I should be aware of when using these commands? I’ve looked into the man pages, and they’re a bit overwhelming sometimes.

Moreover, if there’s a chance that I’ll need to decompress this file later, any tips on how to do that easily would be great as well. I really appreciate any guidance you can provide. It would be awesome to hear from others who have tackled this before or even from anyone who has a different approach they’ve found helpful. Thanks in advance for your insights!

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    2 Answers



    1. Compressing Multiple Files with Gzip

      How to Compress Two Files into One Gzipped File on Linux

      It sounds like you’re on the right track thinking about using tar along with gzip! This is a common method for compressing multiple files into one .gz file. Here’s how you can do it step by step:

      1. Using tar to Create a Tarball and Compress with Gzip

      Instead of trying to pipe the files together, the easiest way is to create a tarball (which is a .tar file) and then compress it using gzip. Here’s the command you can use to combine your two files, file1.txt and file2.txt: 

              tar -czvf combined_files.tar.gz file1.txt file2.txt

      Breakdown of the flags:

      • -c: Create a new tar archive
      • -z: Compress the archive with gzip
      • -v: Verbosely list files processed (optional, but helpful to see what’s happening)
      • -f: Use the following filename for the archive

      2. Sending the Compressed File

      After running that command, you should have a file named combined_files.tar.gz that you can send to your colleague. They will be able to decompress it easily using the same tools.

      3. How to Decompress the Gzipped Tarball

      When your colleague gets the file, they can decompress and extract it with the following command: 

              tar -xzvf combined_files.tar.gz

      This will extract file1.txt and file2.txt from the tar.gz file. The flags for extraction are:

      • -x: Extract files from an archive
      • -z: Filter the archive through gzip
      • -v: Verbosely list files processed
      • -f: Use the following filename for the archive

      Notes

      – Just remember that while gzip compresses files, it doesn’t combine multiple files on its own. That’s where the tar command comes in.
      – If your colleague has trouble with it, they might not have the required tools installed, but most Linux distributions come with tar and gzip pre-installed.

      Good luck! Compression might seem tricky at first, but it gets easier with practice!



    2. To compress two separate files into a single gzipped file on your Linux system, the best approach is to create a tarball using the `tar` command, and then apply gzip compression to that tarball. Here’s the procedure you should follow: First, use the following command to create a tar archive that contains both files:

      tar -czvf archive.tar.gz file1.txt file2.txt

      In this command, -c creates a new archive, -z compresses it using gzip, -v provides verbose output (so you can see what’s being processed), and -f specifies the filename of the archive (in this case, archive.tar.gz). This command effectively combines your two files into a single tar.gz file, which is efficient for both storage and sharing. In the future, when you want to decompress the file, you can do so with the following command:

      tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz

      Here, the -x flag extracts the files, maintaining the original filenames and directory structure that were present before compression. This method of using tar with gzip not only simplifies sending multiple files but also ensures that your colleague receives them in the correct format.


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