To understand how this works, let's look at the specific flags used for both tools: cURL Flags
The most efficient way to download and extract a .tar.gz file is by piping the output of curl directly into the tar command. curl -L https://example.com | tar -xz Use code with caution. Breaking Down the Command curl download and extract tar.gz
: Recommended. It prevents curl from outputting HTML error pages (like 404s) into your tar command, which would cause extraction errors. How do I download a tarball from GitHub using cURL? To understand how this works, let's look at
: Optional. It hides the progress meter and error messages, which is useful for clean logs in CI/CD pipelines. It prevents curl from outputting HTML error pages
: Critical for modern web downloads. It tells curl to follow any HTTP redirects (common with GitHub or CDN links).
Mastering the ability to files in a single step is a fundamental skill for developers and system administrators. This "one-liner" approach avoids cluttering your disk with temporary archive files and speeds up automation scripts. The Essential One-Liner