Files

Single Files

pdf

Create an empty PDF file for testing:

echo -e "%PDF-1.4\n%%EOF" > empty.pdf

Read the file:

$ pdftotext example.pdf - | less
$ pdf2txt example.pdf -o -

Examime the file's metadata:

# Full deep metadata & forensic use
exiftool example.pdf

# Fast, readable metadata
pdfinfo example.pdf

xlsx

xml

Archives

An archive is a single file that contains multiple files or folders bundled together, often preserving their directory structure, metadata, and permissions. Examples are .zip, .tar, .7z, .rar, etc.

zip

A ZIP file is a widely used compressed archive format that bundles multiple files into one while reducing their size for easier storage and transfer.

# Extract files
unzip example.zip

If compatibility issues with zip...

$ unzip example.zip
Archive:  example.zip
   skipping: joomla/.DS_Store        need PK compat. v5.1 (can do v4.6)

Try with 7z!

7z

jar

tar

Compressed Files

A compressed file is a file whose size has been reduced using an algorithm (e.g., DEFLATE, gzip, bzip2). It contains one file that’s been made smaller. Examples are .gz, .bz2, .xz, etc.

gz

Extract files:

# Single file
gzip -d file.gz
gunzip file.gz

# Archive
tar -xzf archive.tar.gz