Install Rar and Unrar in Linux

Install Rar and Unrar in Linux

RAR is a file compression format and archive utility commonly used for compressing and decompressing files. It stands for “Roshal Archive” named after its creator, Eugene Roshal. RAR files are similar to ZIP files but often provide higher compression ratios, making them useful for reducing the size of large files or collections of files.

RAR files can contain one or more files or directories, and they are typically used to bundle multiple files into a single archive for easier storage or distribution. RAR archives can also be encrypted with passwords to protect the contents from unauthorized access.

To create or extract RAR files, you need software that supports the RAR format. One popular tool for working with RAR files is WinRAR, available for Windows. RAR files are archived by Winrar compression software and can be split into large files.

Please note that RAR is a proprietary format, and while there are free software options available, the RAR compression algorithm itself is not open-source.

Windows support for the WinRAR tool has made it easier for users to manage compressed files, but unfortunately, Linux users cannot use the WinRAR tool in Linux by default; Therefore, to extract and compress RAR files, they must install Rar and Unrar commands line tools in Linux.

In this article, we will teach how to install Rar and Unrar in popular Linux distributions through official binary tar files in Linux to extract RAR archive, decompress or unrar a file. If you intend to install Rar and Unrar command line tools on the server, you must first purchase a Linux VPS and then follow the instructions in this article. If you are ready, without wasting time, let’s start the installation process.

Unrar installation on Linux

By following the instructions that we will teach later, you can also manage compressed files by installing Rar and Unrar command line tools in Popular Linux distributions such as Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, and Fedora.

  • To install Unrar in Debian and Ubuntu-based distributions, run the following command using the apt package manager:
sudo apt-get install unrar

Or

sudo apt install unrar
  • To install Unrar on RHEL-based distributions, use the following commands:

On RHEL-based Linux :

sudo yum install unrar
sudo yum install epel-release

On Fedora Linux:

sudo dnf install unrar

If the Linux distribution you are using does not support the Unrar package by default, you must download the latest unrar/rar file using the Wget command:

On 64-bit:

# cd /tmp
# wget https://www.rarlab.com/rar/rarlinux-x64-5.7.1.tar.gz

On 32-bit:

# cd /tmp
# wget https://www.rarlab.com/rar/rarlinux-x32-621.tar.gz

Then extract the downloaded file using the Tar command:

On 64-bit:

# tar -zxvf rarlinux-x64-621.tar.gz

On 32-bit:

# tar -zxvf rarlinux-x32-621.tar.gz

Run the following commands and set the environment variables by copying the Rar and Unrar files to /usr/local/bin/:

# cd rar
# sudo cp -v rar unrar /usr/local/bin/

You can run these commands in your terminal to confirm the functionality of the Rar and Unrar applications:

[root@linuxzone ~]# rar

 

RAR 5.71   Copyright (c) 1993-2019 Alexander Roshal   28 Apr 2019
Trial version             Type 'rar -?' for help
Usage:     rar <command> -<switch 1> -<switch N> <archive> <files...>
<@listfiles...> <path_to_extract\>
<Commands>
a             Add files to archive
c             Add archive comment
ch            Change archive parameters
cw            Write archive comment to file
d             Delete files from archive
e             Extract files without archived paths
.
.
.
.

Rar installation on Linux

Run the following commands to install the rar command line tool:

  • Install rar on Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install rar
  • Install rar on RHEL/CentOS/Fedora/Rocky Linux/Alma Linux:

sudo yum install rar

Sample output:

Loaded plugins: fastestmirror
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
Dependencies Resolved
=========================================================================================

Package                                              Arch                                       Version                                                Repository                                          Size

=========================================================================================
Installing:

rar                                                         i386            3.8.0-1.el5.rf      rpmforge                                         264 k


Transaction Summary
=========================================================================================
Install       1 Package(s)
Upgrade       0 Package(s)

Total download size: 264 k
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages:

rar-3.8.0-1.el5.rf.i386.rpm                                                                                                                                                            | 264 kB     00:01

Running rpm_check_debug
Running Transaction Test
Finished Transaction Test
Transaction Test Succeeded
Running Transaction
Installing     : rar                                          1/1

How to manage compressed files using Rar/Unrar

After installing the Rar and Unrar command line tools in Linux, you can use the features of this tool to manage compressed files in Linux, for which we will provide you with the necessary training.

Extracting RAR files in Linux

The .rar file extension refers to a specific file format known as a RAR archive. It is a compressed file format created using the RAR compression algorithm. RAR archives are commonly used for bundling multiple files or directories into a single file, making it easier to store, transfer, or share them.

RAR archives can achieve higher compression ratios compared to other formats, resulting in smaller file sizes. This can be especially useful when dealing with large files or when you want to reduce the overall size of a collection of files.

To extract compressed files with the extension .rar in the Linux destination directory, run the following command using the rar command line tool:

unrar  e filename.rar /home/

Sample output:

UNRAR 4.20 beta 3 freeware      Copyright (c) 1993-2012 Alexander Roshal

Extracting from  Opera.rar

Extracting  index.php                                                 OK
Extracting  index.html                                                OK
Extracting  xyz.txt                                                   OK
Extracting  abc.txt                                                   OK
All OK

To open the Rar file with its original directory structure, you must use the unrar x option and the following command:

unrar x filename.rar

Sample output:

UNRAR 4.20 beta 3 freeware      Copyright (c) 1993-2012 Alexander Roshal
Extracting from  Opera.rar

Creating    Opera                                                          OK
Extracting  Opera/index.php                                         OK
Extracting  Opera/index.html                                        OK
Extracting  Opera/xyz.txt                                           OK
Extracting  Opera/abc.txt                                           OK
Creating    default                                                   OK
Extracting  default/index.php                                         OK
Extracting  default/index.html                                        OK
Creating    include                                                   OK
Extracting  include/abc.txt                                           OK
Creating    php                                                       OK
Extracting  php/xyz.txt                                               OK
All OK

Testing the RAR file in Linux

Using the unrar tool and the unrar t option, you can test the integrity of the archive file you downloaded from the Internet. Therefore, to check the contents of the archive file, run the following command:

unrar t filename.rar

Sample output:

UNRAR 4.20 beta 3 freeware      Copyright (c) 1993-2012 Alexander Roshal

Testing archive Opera.rar

Testing     Opera/index.php                                         OK
Testing     Opera/index.html                                        OK
Testing     Opera/xyz.txt                                           OK
Testing     Opera/abc.txt                                           OK
Testing     default/index.php                                         OK
Testing     default/index.html                                        OK
Testing     include/abc.txt                                           OK
Testing     php/xyz.txt                                               OK
All OK

Accessing and organizing RAR file content in Linux

Rar compressed files contain several large files. Run the following command to list the contents of the archive file by time, creation date, size, name, and permissions:

unrar l filename.rar

Sample output:

UNRAR 4.20 beta 3 freeware      Copyright (c) 1993-2012 Alexander Roshal


Archive Opera.rar

Name             Size   Packed Ratio  Date   Time     Attr      CRC   Meth Ver
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
index.php           0        8   0% 18-08-12 19:11 -rw-r--r-- 00000000 m3b 2.9
index.html          0        8   0% 18-08-12 19:11 -rw-r--r-- 00000000 m3b 2.9
xyz.txt             0        8   0% 18-08-12 19:11 -rw-r--r-- 00000000 m3b 2.9
abc.txt             0        8   0% 18-08-12 19:11 -rw-r--r-- 00000000 m3b 2.9
index.php           0        8   0% 18-08-12 19:22 -rw-r--r-- 00000000 m3b 2.9
index.html          0        8   0% 18-08-12 19:22 -rw-r--r-- 00000000 m3b 2.9
abc.txt             0        8   0% 18-08-12 19:22 -rw-r--r-- 00000000 m3b 2.9
xyz.txt             0        8   0% 18-08-12 19:22 -rw-r--r-- 00000000 m3b 2.9
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8                0       64   0%

Creating a RAR file in Linux

The Unrar tool is helpful in testing, extracting, and listing archive files. you must use the Rar tool, to create compressed files or Rar archives in Linux. As a result, using the following command, you can create a Rar file for the directory you want in Linux:

rar a filename.rar filename1

By executing the previous command, you can create a rar file named filename in the filename1 directory.

Sample output:

RAR 3.80   Copyright (c) 1993-2008 Alexander Roshal   16 Sep 2008
Shareware version         Type RAR -? for help

Evaluation copy. Please register.

Creating archive Opera.rar

Adding    Opera/index.php                                           OK
Adding    Opera/index.html                                          OK
Adding    Opera/xyz.txt                                             OK
Adding    Opera/abc.txt                                             OK
Adding    Opera                                                            OK
Done

Updating or adding files to the Archive

rar u option is used to update or add files to the existing archive file. For this purpose, run the following command:

rar u filename.rar  filename2.sql

Sample output:

RAR 3.80   Copyright (c) 1993-2008 Alexander Roshal   16 Sep 2008
Shareware version         Type RAR -? for help
Evaluation copy. Please register.
Updating archive Opera.rar
Adding    Opera2.sql                                                 OK
Done

To ensure adding the filename2.sql file and updating the contents of the archive file, run the following command:

rar l filename.rar

Deleting files from the archive in Linux

If you want to delete a file from the archive, use the rar d option:

rar d filename.rar

Recovering archive file

Whenever you decide to access the file archive that has been deleted, the rar r option will help you recover the file archive that has been lost:

rar r filename.rar

Locking Archives

Using the Rar tool, For improving security, you can lock an archive file. For this purpose, use the following command:

rar k filename.rar

Sample output:

RAR 3.80   Copyright (c) 1993-2008 Alexander Roshal   16 Sep 2008
Shareware version         Type RAR -? for help
Processing archive  Opera.rar
Locking archive
Done

Setting a password for the archive

To protect your important information in the archive files, the Rar tool allows you to set a password for the archive. To set the password for the archive file, use the rar a -p option:

rar a -p filename.rar

Sample output:

Enter password (will not be echoed):
Reenter password:
AR 3.80   Copyright (c) 1993-2008 Alexander Roshal   16 Sep 2008
Shareware version         Type RAR -? for help
Evaluation copy. Please register.
Updating archive Opera.rar
Updating  Opera.sql                                                 OK
Done

To ensure the password is set for the archive file, extract the archive file again by running the following command:

rar x filename.rar

By running the previous command to open the archive file, you will check whether you are asked for the password you have set or not.

rar x  Opera.rar
RAR 3.80   Copyright (c) 1993-2008 Alexander Roshal   16 Sep 2008
Shareware version         Type RAR -? for help
Extracting from  Opera.rar

Creating    Opera                                                             OK
Extracting  Opera/index.php                                         OK
Extracting  Opera/index.html                                        OK
Extracting  Opera/xyz.txt                                           OK
Extracting  Opera/abc.txt                                           OK
Enter a password (will not be echoed) for Opera2.sql:

Extracting  Opera2.sql                                               OK
All OK

FAQ

You can determine whether unrar is installed by running the unrar terminal command.

ZIP files take longer to compress than RAR files do. When it comes to file compression, RAR is superior to ZIP.

Conclusion

The Rar/Unrar command-line tool is one of the best tools for managing compressed files in Rar format. The RAR tool provides valuable facilities for creating, deleting, and adding RAR files and protecting files by locking the archive file and setting a password for them. The Unrar command-line tool also equips you to open, list, and test archive files. As a result, using the Rar/Unrar command-line tool helps optimize the management of compressed files in Linux.

In this article, you learned how to install Rar and Unrar tools in Linux, in addition, you learned how to use Rar and Unrar to manage compressed files. #man unrar

and #man rarcommands provide more explanations and options on how to use Rar/Unrar tools.

If you have a new and different experience of using rar and unrar commands, you can share your experience with us and other users.

Thank you for choosing our article to read.

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Tania Publish in October 26, 2022 at 6:07 pm

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