# Install gnu-tar with Homebrew GNU version of the tar archiving utility. Version 1.35 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:gnu-tar ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install gnu-tar ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:gnu-tar - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.35 - **Source summary:** GNU version of the tar archiving utility - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - gtar (cli) - gtar (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Caveats: GNU "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" - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.35 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## 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. ### Sources - - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** gnu-tar - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Archive and compression packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/archive-compression-tools/) - Matched archive or compression metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [dpkg](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dpkg/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [dtrx](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dtrx/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: archive, archive-management, cli, compression, system. - [borgbackup](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/borgbackup/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: archive, backup, cli, compression, system. - [cpio](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cpio/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: archive, backup, cli, system, tar. - [afio](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/afio/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: archive, backup, cli, system. - [clzip](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clzip/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, system. - [dar](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dar/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: backup, cli, compression, system. - [gzip](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gzip/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, system. - [libzip](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libzip/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: archive, cli, compression, system. - [bash](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bash/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, gnu, system, unix. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/gnu-tar.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/gnu-tar.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - cross-ecosystem install command graph