Introduction to RAR Command (with Examples)
1: Archive 1 or more files
RAR is a command-line archiving tool that allows users to compress and create multi-volume archives. One of the most common use cases of the RAR command is archiving one or more files.
To archive multiple files, use the following command:
rar a path/to/archive_name.rar path/to/file1 path/to/file2 path/to/file3
Motivation:
This example is useful when you have multiple files that you want to compress and store in a single archive file. Archiving files not only saves space but also makes it easier to organize, transfer, and share multiple files as a single entity.
Explanation:
rar: The RAR command.a: Specifies the operation to create an archive.path/to/archive_name.rar: The path and name of the resulting archive file.path/to/file1 path/to/file2 path/to/file3: The paths of the files you want to include in the archive.
Example Output:
Creating archive path/to/archive_name.rar
Adding file path/to/file1
Adding file path/to/file2
Adding file path/to/file3
2: Archive a directory
RAR also allows you to archive an entire directory, including all its files and subdirectories.
To archive a directory, use the following command:
rar a path/to/archive_name.rar path/to/directory
Motivation:
This example is useful when you want to compress and store an entire directory and its contents. Archiving a directory helps maintain the directory structure and ensures all files within the directory are preserved when sharing or transferring them.
Explanation:
path/to/directory: The path of the directory you want to include in the archive.
Example Output:
Creating archive path/to/archive_name.rar
Adding path/to/directory
3: Split the archive into parts of equal size (50M)
In some cases, you may want to split the resulting archive into smaller parts to fit specific storage constraints, such as limited disk space or file size limits for transferring.
To split the archive into parts of equal size, use the following command:
rar a -v50M -R path/to/archive_name.rar path/to/file_or_directory
Motivation:
This example is useful when you need to create multi-volume archives and split the resulting archive into smaller parts to accommodate storage limitations. By splitting the archive into equal-sized parts, you can easily transfer or store the files on multiple media or devices.
Explanation:
-v50M: Specifies the volume size of each part of the split archive. In this example, each part will be 50 megabytes in size.-R: Recurses subdirectories when archiving.path/to/archive_name.rar: The path and name of the resulting archive file.path/to/file_or_directory: The path of the file or directory you want to include in the archive.
Example Output:
Creating archive path/to/archive_name.rar
Adding path/to/file_or_directory
Splitting archive into 50M volumes: archive_name.part1.rar, archive_name.part2.rar, ...
4: Password protect the resulting archive
RAR allows you to provide a password to protect the resulting archive file. This adds an extra layer of security to prevent unauthorized access to the archived files.
To password protect the resulting archive, use the following command:
rar a -ppassword path/to/archive_name.rar path/to/file_or_directory
Motivation:
This example is useful when you want to ensure that only authorized individuals can access the archived files. By adding a password to the resulting archive, you can protect sensitive or confidential information from unauthorized access.
Explanation:
-ppassword: Specifies the password for the resulting archive file. Replace “password” with your desired password.path/to/archive_name.rar: The path and name of the resulting archive file.path/to/file_or_directory: The path of the file or directory you want to include in the archive.
Example Output:
Creating archive path/to/archive_name.rar
Adding path/to/file_or_directory
Encrypting archive with password...
5: Encrypt file data and headers with password
In addition to password protecting the resulting archive, RAR also provides an option to encrypt both the file data and archive headers.
To encrypt the file data and headers with a password, use the following command:
rar a -hppassword path/to/archive_name.rar path/to/file_or_directory
Motivation:
This example is useful when you require an extra layer of security for your archived files. By encrypting both the file data and headers, you can protect the integrity and confidentiality of the archived content, making it extremely difficult for unauthorized individuals to access or tamper with the files.
Explanation:
-hppassword: Specifies the password for encrypting both the file data and headers of the resulting archive file. Replace “password” with your desired password.path/to/archive_name.rar: The path and name of the resulting archive file.path/to/file_or_directory: The path of the file or directory you want to include in the archive.
Example Output:
Creating archive path/to/archive_name.rar
Adding path/to/file_or_directory
Encrypting file data and headers with password...
6: Use a specific compression level (0-5)
RAR supports different levels of compression for creating archives. The compression level determines the trade-off between compression ratio and the time taken to compress the files.
To use a specific compression level, use the following command:
rar a -mcompression_level path/to/archive_name.rar path/to/file_or_directory
Motivation:
This example is useful when you want to optimize the compression performance based on your specific requirements. By choosing the appropriate compression level, you can balance the compression ratio and the time taken to create the archive.
Explanation:
-mcompression_level: Specifies the compression level to be used. Valid values range from 0 to 5, where 0 indicates no compression and 5 indicates maximum compression.path/to/archive_name.rar: The path and name of the resulting archive file.path/to/file_or_directory: The path of the file or directory you want to include in the archive.
Example Output:
Creating archive path/to/archive_name.rar with compression level 3...
Adding path/to/file_or_directory
