.tar.gz.gpg
Encyclopedia : T : TA : TAR : .tar.gz.gpg
The .tar.gz.gpg filename extension (also tgz.gpg) denotes the use of a combination of GNU Privacy Guard (gpg) encryption utility, GNU zip (gzip) compression utility, and GNU Tape ARchive (tar) utility. As open-source utilities, their combination provides a feasible method to share data archive over a network. Each of the utilities are intended to perform a specific function: encrypting, compressing, and archiving, respectively.
The inclusion of this extension on the end of a filename indicates that a Tape ARchive file was made with "tar", compressed using gzip, and then encrypted by using GPG. This naming convention conveys the fact that one must "undo" each of the three operations in a particular order to use the file, as no one utility performs the three functions on a target.
In this instance, one must first un-encrypt using GPG before uncompressing with GZIP, before untarring the file with the tar utility.
See also
References
- [GNU tar project site]
- [gzip Project site]
- [GnuPG Project site]
- [UNIX Unleashed System Adminstrator's Guide, Chapter 4, UNIX Filesystem]
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