A TAR file is an archive file format used for collecting many files into one archive file for distribution or backup purposes). The name is derived from "tape archive," as it was originally developed to write data to sequential I/O devices with no file system of their own). The archive data sets created by tar contain various file system parameters, such as name, timestamps, ownership, file-access permissions, and directory organization). A tar archive consists of a series of file objects, each including any file data and preceded by a 512-byte header record). The file data is written unaltered except that its length is rounded up to a multiple of 512 bytes). Unlike ZIP files and many other types of archives, TAR files are not compressed. However, users often compress them using tar or other compression utilities to reduce their file size, making them easier to store and share. Primarily, users compress TAR files using Gzip compression, turning them into .TGZ or .TAR.GZ files. TAR files are immensely popular on UNIX and UNIX-like systems due to the ease of use of tar commands. They are frequently used in conjunction with external file-based compression schemas for portability and including functions such as encryption and integrity checks.