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Install gnu-tar with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, pacman, zypper, scoop, winget

GNU version of the tar archiving utility. Version 1.35 via Homebrew; verified 2026-09-18. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install tar.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install gnu-tar

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add tar

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · tar · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install tar

Debian stable package indexes · tar · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install tar

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · tar · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S tar

Arch Linux sync databases · tar · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install tar

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · tar · source: download.opensuse.org

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install main/tar

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/tar.json · source: api.github.com

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id GnuWin32.Tar -e

Windows Package Manager source index · GnuWin32.Tar · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

GNU version of the tar archiving utility

Commands and aliases

  • tar

history

Project history and usage

GNU tar is the GNU archiving program for creating, listing, updating, and extracting tar archives. It is one of the package ecosystem's foundational tools because source releases, backups, and portable file bundles often travel as tar archives.

Project history

The GNU tar README says GNU tar is derived from John Gilmore's public-domain tar. The GNU tar manual credits John Gilmore as the original author, Jay Fenlason and Joy Kendall for GNU enhancements, and later maintenance by Thomas Bushnell, n/BSG, Francois Pinard, Paul Eggert, and Sergey Poznyakoff with many contributors.

GNU tar development also reflects the long evolution of archive formats and recovery needs. The manual notes that active development and maintenance resumed after the project was put on CVS at Savannah in July 2003, and it credits Sergey Poznyakoff with POSIX archive support.

Adoption history

tar began as a tape archiver, but GNU tar helped make tar archives a routine interchange format for free software. The GNU manual explicitly notes that the GNU Project distributes software bundled into tar archives so related files can move as a single unit, a practice that made tarballs central to source distribution and package building.

How it is used

Practitioners use GNU tar to create and extract source tarballs, preserve directory trees, list archive contents, append or update members, stream archives through pipes, and combine archiving with compression tools. System administrators also use GNU tar for full and incremental backups, including snapshot-file workflows with --listed-incremental.

Why package nerds care

GNU tar is package-nerd bedrock: release artifacts, distro build recipes, reproducible archives, vendor source bundles, and backup scripts all depend on tar behavior. Details such as pax headers, sparse files, compression integration, path handling, and incremental metadata are small options with large consequences for reproducibility and restore safety.

Timeline

  • 1980s: GNU tar grew from John Gilmore's public-domain tar into a GNU-maintained archiver.
  • 2003: GNU tar was put on CVS at Savannah and active maintenance resumed.
  • 2021: Version 1.34 notes record extraction and permission-handling fixes.
  • 2023: Version 1.35 notes include compatibility and backup-related fixes.
  • 2026: Git NEWS for 1.35.90 describes reproducibility work, extraction safety fixes, and performance improvements.

Related projects

  • GNU tar is tightly related to gzip, bzip2, xz, cpio, rmt, POSIX pax archives, source-release tooling, and package-manager build systems.

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 5 platform targets.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
tarcliglobal executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-09-19
manager version1.35
manager updated2026-09-18
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:gnu-tar
Version1.35
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/gnu-tar
Homepagehttps://www.gnu.org/software/tar/
Upstream docshttps://www.gnu.org/software/tar/
LicenseGPL-3.0-or-later
Source archivehttps://ftpmirror.gnu.org/gnu/tar/tar-1.35.tar.gz
Last updated2026-09-18T13:50:29+02:00
Pulseupdated
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared
CaveatsGNU "tar" has been installed as "gtar". If you need to use it as "tar", you can add a "gnubin" directory to your PATH from your bashrc like: PATH="$HOMEBREW_PREFIX/opt/gnu-tar/libexec/gnubin:$PATH"

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namegnu-tar
Version Scheme0
Revision1
Head VersionHEAD
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • head
  • stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Debian apt92%

tar 1.35+dfsg-3.1

GNU version of the tar archiving utility

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo apt install tar
  • Section: utils
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 5 optional deps
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: tar from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt92%

tar-scripts 1.35+dfsg-3.1

optional scripts for GNU version of the tar archiving utility

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo apt install tar-scripts
  • Section: utils
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: tar
  • 1 dependencies
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: tar-scripts from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Ubuntu apt92%

tar 1.35+dfsg-3build1

GNU version of the tar archiving utility

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo apt install tar
  • Section: utils
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 5 optional deps
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: tar from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt92%

tar-scripts 1.35+dfsg-3build1

optional scripts for GNU version of the tar archiving utility

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo apt install tar-scripts
  • Section: universe/utils
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: tar
  • 1 dependencies
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: tar-scripts from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
apk92%

tar 1.35-r5

Utility used to store, backup, and transport files

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo apk add tar
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: tar
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: tar from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk92%

tar-doc 1.35-r5

Utility used to store, backup, and transport files (documentation)

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo apk add tar-doc
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: tar
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: tar-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
dnf92%

tar 1.35-9.fc45

GNU file archiving program

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo dnf install tar
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: tar
  • 4 dependencies
  • 4 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: tar from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/652278618dec9c023176a80c435a32a2c8154869fb0eb662c267a54df28d77d9-primary.xml.zst
pacman92%

tar 1.35-5

Utility used to store, backup, and transport files

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo pacman -S tar
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • 2 dependencies
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: tar from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz
zypper92%

tar 1.35-10.1

GNU implementation of ((t)ape (ar)chiver)

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo zypper install tar
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Category: Productivity/Archiving/Backup
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: tar
  • 3 dependencies
  • 3 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: tar from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/d310d5a96106e1e8872a385adf98aaa23be9db5d80937a6717314e7e7f37715065c6c748ab7ccee6475d620b46979c0fe64235fc0c46988e17edf659578fcf31-primary.xml.zst
zypper92%

tar-backup-scripts 1.35-10.1

Backup scripts

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo zypper install tar-backup-scripts
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Category: Productivity/Archiving/Backup
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: tar
  • 2 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: tar-backup-scripts from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/d310d5a96106e1e8872a385adf98aaa23be9db5d80937a6717314e7e7f37715065c6c748ab7ccee6475d620b46979c0fe64235fc0c46988e17edf659578fcf31-primary.xml.zst
zypper92%

tar-doc 1.35-10.1

Documentation files for GNU tar

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo zypper install tar-doc
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Category: Documentation/Man
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: tar
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: tar-doc from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/d310d5a96106e1e8872a385adf98aaa23be9db5d80937a6717314e7e7f37715065c6c748ab7ccee6475d620b46979c0fe64235fc0c46988e17edf659578fcf31-primary.xml.zst
zypper92%

tar-lang 1.35-10.1

Translations for package tar

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo zypper install tar-lang
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Category: System/Localization
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: tar
  • 1 dependencies
  • 3 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: tar-lang from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/d310d5a96106e1e8872a385adf98aaa23be9db5d80937a6717314e7e7f37715065c6c748ab7ccee6475d620b46979c0fe64235fc0c46988e17edf659578fcf31-primary.xml.zst
zypper92%

tar-rmt 1.35-10.1

Remote tape drive control server by GNU

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo zypper install tar-rmt
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Category: Productivity/Archiving/Backup
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: tar
  • 3 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: tar-rmt from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/d310d5a96106e1e8872a385adf98aaa23be9db5d80937a6717314e7e7f37715065c6c748ab7ccee6475d620b46979c0fe64235fc0c46988e17edf659578fcf31-primary.xml.zst
zypper92%

tar-tests 1.35-10.1

Tests for the package

https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/

sudo zypper install tar-tests
  • License: GPL-3.0-or-later
  • Category: Development/Tools/Other
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: tar
  • 3 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: tar-tests from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/d310d5a96106e1e8872a385adf98aaa23be9db5d80937a6717314e7e7f37715065c6c748ab7ccee6475d620b46979c0fe64235fc0c46988e17edf659578fcf31-primary.xml.zst
Scoop92%

main/tar

scoop install main/tar
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/tar.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1
winget92%

GnuWin32.Tar

winget install --id GnuWin32.Tar -e
  • installed executable or alias match
  • Matched by: Tar
Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: GnuWin32.Tar from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • dpkgPopular package that depends on this formula.
  • gnu-timePackage names and metadata indicate a similar tool family. Shared terms: cli, gnu, system.

Same workflow

  • borgbackupShares pkgdb curated category or tags: archive, backup, cli, compression, system.
  • cpioShares pkgdb curated category or tags: archive, backup, cli, system, tar.
  • libzipShares pkgdb curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, system.
  • p7zipShares pkgdb curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, system.
  • unarShares pkgdb curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, system.
  • squashfsShares pkgdb curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, system.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment
  • pkg.so package database
  • pkgdb category and tag curation