You can compress a whole directory using xz and tar by using the following command:
tar -cJf directory.tar.xz directory/
This command will create a compressed archive called directory.tar.xz of the entire directory directory.
Here’s a breakdown of the options used in the command:
-c: create a new archive.-J: filter the archive through xz.-f: use archive file specified.
You can also use the option -v for verbose output to see the progress of compression.
tar -cJvf directory.tar.xz directory/
You can also use the option -C to specify the directory where the archive should be created.
tar -cJvf directory.tar.xz -C /path/to/directory directory/
You can extract the archive by using the following command:
tar -xJf directory.tar.xz
Please note that the above command will compress the whole directory including the subdirectories and files inside it, it will also preserve the permissions, ownership and timestamps of the files and directories.
It’s always a good idea to check the man pages of the command or the website of the tools for the latest version and other options.