JAR to TAR Converter

Repackage JAR as TAR with Unix metadata — online free

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Unix-Friendly Output

TAR stores file permissions, ownership, and timestamps — metadata critical for Linux deployments. Converting your JAR to TAR makes contents ready for Unix-based workflows.

Clean and Easy

Three steps: upload the JAR, choose TAR, download the result. Convertio.tools keeps the interface straightforward — no configuration or technical expertise needed.

Server-Powered

All conversion processing occurs on our cloud infrastructure. Your device simply uploads and downloads — no strain on local CPU or memory resources.

How to convert JAR to TAR

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

Choose tar or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

Let the file convert and you can download your tar file right afterwards

About formats

JAR (Java Archive) is a package file format based on ZIP, developed by Sun Microsystems) and introduced with JDK 1.1 in January 1996 for distributing Java class files, associated metadata, and resources as a single deployable unit. A JAR file is structurally a ZIP archive with an added META-INF/MANIFEST.MF file — a text manifest that declares the archive's main class entry point, classpath dependencies, package versioning, and digital signature information. The Java runtime loads classes directly from JAR files without extraction, using the ZIP directory for efficient random access to individual entries. JAR archives can be made executable: specifying a Main-Class attribute in the manifest allows launching the application with a simple java -jar command. The format supports code signing through the JDK's jarsigner tool, embedding digital signatures that verify the authenticity and integrity of the archive's contents. One advantage is the Java ecosystem's native integration — the JVM, build tools (Maven, Gradle), application servers, and IDEs all treat JAR files as first-class artifacts, enabling a unified build-deploy-run pipeline. The format's backward compatibility with standard ZIP) tools is another practical strength: any ZIP utility can inspect JAR contents, while the manifest and signing layers add Java-specific capabilities on top. JAR remains the fundamental distribution unit for Java libraries and applications across enterprise, mobile, and embedded deployments.

Developer: Sun Microsystems

Initial release: January 23, 1996

TAR (Tape Archive) is a Unix archive format originating in Version 7 Unix) at AT&T Bell Labs in January 1979, originally designed for writing file backups to magnetic tape drives. Unlike ZIP or RAR, TAR is a pure archiving format that concatenates multiple files into a single stream without applying compression — each file is preceded by a 512-byte header block containing the filename, permissions, ownership, size, modification time, and checksum, followed by the file data padded to 512-byte boundaries. The format has evolved through several standards: the original V7 format, the POSIX.1-1988 ustar format (extending path lengths and adding support for more file types), and the POSIX.1-2001 pax format supporting extended attributes, arbitrary-length paths, and large file sizes. TAR is almost always paired with a compression tool — gzip (.tar.gz/.tgz), bzip2 (.tar.bz2/.tbz2), xz (.tar.xz), or others — producing a two-layer structure where compression operates on the entire stream for maximum efficiency. One advantage is exceptional Unix metadata fidelity — TAR preserves permissions, ownership, symbolic links, hard links, device files, and extended attributes with greater precision than most competing formats. Universal availability is another core strength: tar is a POSIX-mandated utility present on every Unix-like system, and tools on Windows and macOS handle TAR files natively. TAR remains the standard distribution format for source code, Linux filesystem images, container layers, and system backups.

Developer: AT&T / Unix

Initial release: January 1979

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert JAR to TAR?

TAR preserves Unix file permissions, symlinks, and ownership — features JAR lacks. If you're deploying Java archive contents on Linux servers, TAR is the natural container format.

What opens TAR files?

TAR is native to Linux and macOS via the tar command. On Windows, 7-Zip and WinRAR both extract TAR archives. Every major file manager supports it out of the box.

Does TAR apply compression?

No — TAR is strictly a file bundler. It combines files without compressing them. You can apply your own compression (gzip, xz, bzip2) afterward if needed.

Is the conversion free of charge?

Yes, converting JAR to TAR on convertio.tools is free. Paid plans are available for users who need higher upload limits and priority processing.

Can I run this on any operating system?

Since the converter works in a web browser, it functions on Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, and mobile platforms — no OS restrictions at all.

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TGZ to TAR

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TAR.XZ to TAR

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TAR.LZMA to TAR

TAR.LZO to TAR

TAR.Z to TAR

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JAR to TAR Quality Rating

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