An archive is a file that contains one or more files or directories bundled together into a single file for easier storage, transfer, or backup. Archives are commonly used to compress data, reduce file size, and organize multiple files into a single package.
Common archive formats include:
- .tar: A standard Unix-based archive format that combines multiple files into one without compression.
- .tar.gz or .tgz: A compressed version of a tar archive using gzip compression.
- .zip: A widely used archive format that can compress files and directories.
Archives are useful for simplifying file management and sharing, especially when dealing with large sets of files.
