unrar-nonfree

unrar [command] [-flags] <archive> [files...] [destination_path]

Common commands include:
unrar e <archive> [files...] [destination_path]
unrar x <archive> [files...] [destination_path]
unrar l <archive>
unrar t <archive>

e
    Extract files to the current directory or specified path, ignoring original folder structure.

x
    Extract files with full paths, preserving the original folder structure from the archive.

l
    List the contents of the archive.

t
    Test the integrity of the archive, checking for corruption.

v
    Verbosely list the contents of the archive, showing detailed information.

-p
    Specify a password for encrypted archives.

-o[+|-]
    Set overwrite mode: '+' for overwrite existing files, '-' for skip existing files.

-y
    Assume Yes for all queries.

-id[c,d,p,q]
    Disable messages: 'c' (copyright), 'd' (done), 'p' (percent), 'q' (all quiet).

-r
    Recurse subdirectories when searching for archives.

-ad
    Append archive name to destination path, creating a new directory for extracted files.

unrar-nonfree is the official, proprietary command-line utility for extracting files from RAR archives on Linux. Unlike its open-source counterpart (unrar-free), this version is developed by RARLAB and supports all RAR archive versions, including the latest RAR5 format, providing complete compatibility and reliability.

It allows users to extract, list, and test the integrity of compressed RAR files. While it offers robust functionality for handling various RAR compression methods and recovery records, its "non-free" designation stems from its proprietary license, meaning it's not open-source and might reside in non-free repositories of some Linux distributions. Despite this, it is widely used due to its unparalleled ability to decompress all RAR files. It's an essential tool for users who frequently encounter RAR archives, ensuring successful extraction without compatibility issues often found with reverse-engineered alternatives.

Proprietary License: unrar-nonfree is proprietary software, meaning its source code is not openly available. This can be a concern for those preferring entirely open-source systems.

Distribution Availability: Due to its non-free nature, it may not be included in the default or 'main' repositories of all Linux distributions and often resides in 'non-free' or 'restricted' repositories, requiring explicit enabling to install.

Security Auditing: As a closed-source application, it doesn't benefit from the same level of community security auditing that open-source tools do.

While unrar-free is an open-source alternative, it is often based on reverse-engineering and may not support all features or the latest versions of the RAR format (especially RAR5 archives with certain compression methods or recovery records). unrar-nonfree is the official, proprietary decompressor from RARLAB, offering full and reliable support for all RAR archive types and versions.

The RAR file format and its associated tools, including unrar, were created by Eugene Roshal, a Russian software engineer, starting in the early 1990s. The unrar utility is the decompressor component. The distinction "unrar-nonfree" specifically highlights that this is the official, proprietary version provided by RARLAB, which fully supports all features and versions of the RAR format, including newer ones like RAR5.

In contrast, an open-source implementation called unrar-free (or simply unrar on some systems when referring to the open-source one) exists, which was reverse-engineered. However, unrar-free often lags behind in support for the latest RAR features and complex archive types, making unrar-nonfree the preferred choice for reliable extraction of all RAR archives. Its inclusion in Linux distributions' 'non-free' sections reflects its licensing model, ensuring users have access to the most capable RAR decompressor.

rar(1), unrar-free(1), zip(1), unzip(1), tar(1), 7z(1)