| Feature | .tar.gz | .zip | |--------|-----------|--------| | Preserves Unix permissions | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (ignores execute bits, symlinks) | | Streamable | ✅ Yes (tape/pipe friendly) | ❌ Needs central directory at end | | Open standard | ✅ Fully | ⚠️ Partially (some extensions proprietary) | | Compression ratio | ✅ Very good (DEFLATE) | ✅ Same algorithm | | Random access | ❌ Painful | ✅ Possible |
For source code, system backups, and Docker layers, .tar.gz wins because it faithfully restores the original environment. gzipped tarball
It’s not broken. It never needed fixing. | Feature |
But gzip cannot pack multiple files. Give it a directory, and it says: “No, thanks.” and Docker layers