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Extract a tar.gz archive without overwriting files

cautionrsync and backupalle

Caution: This command changes the system. Understand what it does before you run it.

Adjust the values, the command updates live
user@server
mkdir -p /tmp/restore && tar -xzf /var/backups/example.com-httpdocs-2026-10-09.tar.gz -C /tmp/restore --skip-old-files

Creates the target directory if needed and extracts the archive there. --skip-old-files leaves existing files untouched, so an accidentally wrong target does not overwrite data. The safest choice is an empty directory from which you then copy back selectively.

Note: Owners from the archive are only restored when extracting as root, otherwise all files belong to the user running the command.

Also searched as

  • extract tar.gz to directory
  • restore backup from tar.gz
  • extract archive without overwriting
  • tar skip existing files

Related one-liners

All in rsync and backup

Restore a single file from a tar backup

$mkdir -p /tmp/restore && tar -xzf /var/backups/example.com-httpdocs-2026-10-09.tar.gz -C /tmp/restore ./wp-config.php
cautionrsync and backup

Create a compressed tar backup with the date in the name

#tar -czf /var/backups/example.com-httpdocs-$(date +%F).tar.gz -C /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs .
cautionrsync and backup

List the contents of a tar.gz archive

$tar -tzvf /var/backups/example.com-httpdocs-2026-10-09.tar.gz | head -50
harmlessrsync and backup

Stream a tar backup directly to another server over SSH

$tar -czf - -C /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs . | ssh webuser@backup.example.com 'cat > /home/webuser/backup/example.com-httpdocs.tar.gz'
cautionrsync and backup

Back up a Docker volume to a tar archive

#docker run --rm -v app_data:/data:ro -v /root/docker-backup:/backup alpine tar czf /backup/app_data.tar.gz -C /data .
cautionDocker

Import a gzipped dump into the WordPress database

$gunzip -c /var/www/vhosts/example.com/db-backup.sql.gz | wp db import - --path=/var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs
destructiveWP-CLI

Read first, then run.

The commands on myline.de act directly on servers, files and databases. A wrong path or placeholder can delete data irreversibly or make a server unreachable.

  • All commands are provided without warranty and are not tested on every system.
  • Understand what a command does before running it, and check every placeholder.
  • Make a backup first and, if possible, try it on a test system.
  • You run commands at your own risk. Liability for damages is excluded to the extent permitted by law.