atool

List files in an archive

$ atool [[-l|--list]] [path/to/archive.zip]

$ atool [[-x|--extract]] [archive.tar.gz]

$ atool [[-X|--extract-to]] [path/to/output_directory] [archive.rar]

$ atool [[-c|--cat]] [archive.tar] [path/to/file_in_archive.txt]

$ atool [[-a|--add]] [new_archive.zip] [path/to/file1 path/to/file2 ...]

$ atool [[-l|--list]] [[-p|--pager]] [large_archive.tar.bz2]

$ atool [[-x|--extract]] [[-e|--each]] [archive1.zip] [archive2.tar.gz] [*.rar]

$ atool [[-r|--repack]] [old_archive.tar.gz] [new_archive.tar.7z]

atool [options] {c|x|e|p|l|t|a|d} archive [files...]

-h, --help
    Display help message and exit

-V, --version
    Show version information and exit

-v, --verbose[=level]
    Increase verbosity (default level 1; 0=quiet, 2=more)

-q
    Shortcut for --verbose=0 (quiet mode)

-f, --force
    Overwrite existing files without prompting

-n, --simulate
    Dry run: show actions without executing

-D, --dir=DIR
    Change to directory DIR before processing

-F, --format=FORMAT
    Force specific archive format

-S, --program=PROG
    Use PROG as the archive handler

-o, --option=OPT
    Pass OPT to the backend program

--files-from=FILE
    Read list of files from FILE

-X, --exclude=PATTERN
    Exclude files matching PATTERN

--include=PATTERN
    Include only files matching PATTERN

--each
    Recurse into nested archives

--list-formats
    List all supported formats

--explain
    Explain detection and actions

--password=PASS
    Supply password for encrypted archives

atool is a versatile Linux command-line script that provides a consistent interface for handling numerous archive and compression formats. It supports operations like creating (c), extracting (x or e), listing (l), testing (t), printing (p), adding (a), and deleting (d) files in archives such as tar, zip, rar, 7z, gzip, bzip2, xz, lzma, deb, rpm, and many more.

atool automatically detects archive types and invokes the appropriate backend tools (e.g., tar, unzip, unrar, 7za). This eliminates the need to learn syntax for each format. Options allow customization like verbosity control, directory changes, format overrides, and exclusion patterns. It preserves file permissions, timestamps, and handles passwords for encrypted archives.

Ideal for scripts and users dealing with mixed archive types, atool simplifies workflows in backups, package management, and file distribution. Verbose mode aids debugging, while simulation previews actions without changes.

Requires backend tools installed (e.g., tar, unzip, unrar, 7z). Some formats limited by backend capabilities. No built-in compression selection for all cases; use options like --gzip.

c: create archive
x|e: extract (x uses full paths)
l: list contents
t: test archive
p: print to stdout

Over 50 types: tar, zip, rar, 7z, gz, bz2, xz, lzma, deb, rpm, ar, cab, lha, ace, zoo, jar, war, ear, slp, ha, z.
Use atool --list-formats for complete list.

Developed by Astrid in 1999 as part of her 'a*' tool suite. Initial release 0.10; evolved to support more formats. Latest stable 0.39.0 (2017), maintained in distributions like Debian.

tar(1), unzip(1), zip(1), 7z(1), unar(1), unrar(5)