jar(1) Basic Tools jar(1)NAMEjar - Manipulates Java Archive (JAR) files.
SYNOPSIS
Create JAR file
jar c[efmMnv0] [entrypoint] [jarfile] [manifest] [-C dir] file ... [-Joption ...] [@arg-file ...]
Update JAR file
jar u[efmMnv0] [entrypoint] [jarfile] [manifest] [-C dir] file ... [-Joption ...] [@arg-file ...]
Extract JAR file
jar x[vf] [jarfile] file ... [-Joption ...] [@arg-file ...]
List Contents of JAR file
jar t[vf] [jarfile] file ... [-Joption ...] [@arg-file ...]
Add Index to JAR file
jar i jarfile [-Joption ...] [@arg-file ...]
DESCRIPTION
The jar command is a general-purpose archiving and compression tool,
based on ZIP and the ZLIB compression format. However, the jar command
was designed mainly to package Java applets or applications into a
single archive. When the components of an applet or application (files,
images and sounds) are combined into a single archive, they can be
downloaded by a Java agent (such as a browser) in a single HTTP
transaction, rather than requiring a new connection for each piece.
This dramatically improves download times. The jar command also
compresses files, which further improves download time. The jar command
also allows individual entries in a file to be signed by the applet
author so that their origin can be authenticated. A JAR file can be
used as a class path entry, whether or not it is compressed.
The syntax for the jar command resembles the syntax for the tar
command. It has several operation modes, defined by one of the
mandatory operation arguments. Other arguments are either options that
modify the behavior of the operation, or operands required to perform
the operation.
OPERATION ARGUMENTS
When using the jar command, you have to select an operation to be
performed by specifying one of the following operation arguments. You
can mix them up with other one-letter options on the command line, but
usually the operation argument is the first argument specified.
c Create a new JAR archive.
i Generate index information for a JAR archive.
t List the contents of a JAR archive.
u Update a JAR archive.
x Extract files from a JAR archive.
OPTIONS
Use the following options to customize how the JAR file is created,
updated, extracted, or viewed:
e Sets the class specified by the entrypoint operand to be the
entry point for a standalone Java application bundled into an
executable JAR file. The use of this option creates or overrides
the Main-Class attribute value in the manifest file. The e
option can be used when creating (c) or updating (u) the JAR
file.
For example, the following command creates the Main.jar archive
with the Main.class file where the Main-Class attribute value in
the manifest is set to Main:
jar cfe Main.jar Main Main.class
The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) can directly call this
application by running the following command:
java -jar Main.jar
If the entry point class name is in a package, then it could use
either the dot (.) or slash (/) as the delimiter. For example,
if Main.class is in a package called mydir, then the entry point
can be specified in one of the following ways:
jar-cfe Main.jar mydir/Main mydir/Main.class
jar-cfe Main.jar mydir.Main mydir/Main.class
Note
Specifying both m and e options together when a particular
manifest also contains the Main-Class attribute results in an
ambiguous Main-Class specification. The ambiguity leads to an
error and the jar command creation or update operation is
terminated.
f Sets the file specified by the jarfile operand to be the name of
the JAR file that is created (c), updated (u), extracted (x)
from, or viewed (t). Omitting the f option and the jarfile
operand instructs the jar command to accept the JAR file name
from stdin (for x and t) or send the JAR file to stdout (for c
and u).
m Includes names and values of attributes from the file specified
by the manifest operand in the manifest file of the jar command
(located in the archive at META-INF/MANIFEST.MF). The jar
command adds the attribute’s name and value to the JAR file
unless an entry already exists with the same name, in which case
the jar command updates the value of the attribute. The m option
can be used when creating (c) or updating (u) the JAR file.
You can add special-purpose name-value attribute pairs to the
manifest that are not contained in the default manifest file.
For example, you can add attributes that specify vendor
information, release information, package sealing, or to make
JAR-bundled applications executable. For examples of using the m
option, see Packaging Programs at
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/deployment/jar/index.html
M Does not create a manifest file entry (for c and u), or delete a
manifest file entry when one exists (for u). The M option can be
used when creating (c) or updating (u) the JAR file.
n When creating (c) a JAR file, this option normalizes the archive
so that the content is not affected by the packing and unpacking
operations of the pack200(1) command. Without this
normalization, the signature of a signed JAR can become invalid.
v Generates verbose output to standard output. See Examples.
0 (Zero) Creates (c) or updates (u) the JAR file without using ZIP
compression.
-C dir
When creating (c) or updating (u) a JAR file, this option
temporarily changes the directory while processing files
specified by the file operands. Its operation is intended to be
similar to the -C option of the UNIX tar utility.For example,
the following command changes to the classes directory and adds
the Bar.class file from that directory to my.jar:
jar uf my.jar -C classes Bar.class
The following command changes to the classes directory and adds
to my.jar all files within the classes directory (without
creating a classes directory in the JAR file), then changes back
to the original directory before changing to the bin directory
to add Xyz.class to my.jar.
jar uf my.jar -C classes . -C bin Xyz.class
If classes contained files bar1 and bar2, then the JAR file will
contain the following after running the previous command:
% jar tf my.jar
META-INF/
META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
bar1
bar2
Xyz.class
-Joption
Sets the specified JVM option to be used when the JRE runs the
JAR file. JVM options are described on the reference page for
the java(1) command. For example, -J-Xms48m sets the startup
memory to 48 MB.
OPERANDS
The following operands are recognized by the jar command.
file When creating (c) or updating (u) a JAR file, the file operand
defines the path and name of the file or directory that should
be added to the archive. When extracting (x) or listing the
contents (t) of a JAR file, the file operand defines the path
and name of the file to be extrated or listed. At least one
valid file or directory must be specified. Separate multiple
file operands with spaces. If the entrypoint, jarfile, or
manifest operands are used, the file operands must be specified
after them.
entrypoint
When creating (c) or updating (u) a JAR file, the entrypoint
operand defines the name of the class that should be the entry
point for a standalone Java application bundled into an
executable JAR file. The entrypoint operand must be specified if
the e option is present.
jarfile
Defines the name of the file to be created (c), updated (u),
extracted (x), or viewed (t). The jarfile operand must be
specified if the f option is present. Omitting the f option and
the jarfile operand instructs the jar command to accept the JAR
file name from stdin (for x and t) or send the JAR file to
stdout (for c and u).
When indexing (i) a JAR file, specify the jarfile operand
without the f option.
manifest
When creating (c) or updating (u) a JAR file, the manifest
operand defines the preexisting manifest files with names and
values of attributes to be included in MANIFEST.MF in the JAR
file. The manifest operand must be specified if the f option is
present.
@arg-file
To shorten or simplify the jar command, you can specify
arguments in a separate text file and pass it to the jar command
with the at sign (@) as a prefix. When the jar command
encounters an argument beginning with the at sign, it expands
the contents of that file into the argument list.
An argument file can include options and arguments of the jar
command (except the -J options, because they are passed to the
launcher, which does not support argument files). The arguments
within a file can be separated by spaces or newline characters.
File names within an argument file are relative to the current
directory from which you run the jar command, not relative to
the location of the argument file. Wild cards, such as the
asterisk (*), that might otherwise be expanded by the operating
system shell, are not expanded.
The following example, shows how to create a classes.list file
with names of files from the current directory output by the
find command:
find . -name '*.class' -print > classes.list
You can then execute the jar command and pass the classes.list
file to it using the @arg-file syntax:
jar cf my.jar @classes.list
An argument file can be specified with a path, but any file
names inside the argument file that have relative paths are
relative to the current working directory of the jar command,
not to the path passed in, for example:
jar @dir/classes.list
NOTES
The e, f, and m options must appear in the same order on the command
line as the entrypoint, jarfile, and manifest operands, for example:
jar cmef myManifestFile MyMainClass myFile.jar *.class
EXAMPLES
Example 1 Adding All Files From the Current Directory With Verbose
Output
% ls
1.au Animator.class monkey.jpg
2.au Wave.class spacemusic.au
3.au at_work.gif
% jar cvf bundle.jar *
added manifest
adding: 1.au(in = 2324) (out= 67)(deflated 97%)
adding: 2.au(in = 6970) (out= 90)(deflated 98%)
adding: 3.au(in = 11616) (out= 108)(deflated 99%)
adding: Animator.class(in = 2266) (out= 66)(deflated 97%)
adding: Wave.class(in = 3778) (out= 81)(deflated 97%)
adding: at_work.gif(in = 6621) (out= 89)(deflated 98%)
adding: monkey.jpg(in = 7667) (out= 91)(deflated 98%)
adding: spacemusic.au(in = 3079) (out= 73)(deflated 97%)
Example 2 Adding Files From Subdirectories
% ls -F
audio/ classes/ images/
% jar cvf bundle.jar audio classes images
added manifest
adding: audio/(in = 0) (out= 0)(stored 0%)
adding: audio/1.au(in = 2324) (out= 67)(deflated 97%)
adding: audio/2.au(in = 6970) (out= 90)(deflated 98%)
adding: audio/3.au(in = 11616) (out= 108)(deflated 99%)
adding: audio/spacemusic.au(in = 3079) (out= 73)(deflated 97%)
adding: classes/(in = 0) (out= 0)(stored 0%)
adding: classes/Animator.class(in = 2266) (out= 66)(deflated 97%)
adding: classes/Wave.class(in = 3778) (out= 81)(deflated 97%)
adding: images/(in = 0) (out= 0)(stored 0%)
adding: images/monkey.jpg(in = 7667) (out= 91)(deflated 98%)
adding: images/at_work.gif(in = 6621) (out= 89)(deflated 98%)
% ls -F
audio/ bundle.jar classes/ images/
Example 3 Listing the Contents of JAR
% jar tf bundle.jar
META-INF/
META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
audio/1.au
audio/2.au
audio/3.au
audio/spacemusic.au
classes/Animator.class
classes/Wave.class
images/monkey.jpg
images/at_work.gif
Example 4 Adding an Index
Use the i option when you split the interdependent classes for a stock
trade application into three JAR files: main.jar, buy.jar, and
sell.jar. If you specify the Class-Path attribute in the main.jar
manifest, then you can use the i option to speed up the class loading
time for your application:
Class-Path: buy.jar sell.jar
jar i main.jar
An INDEX.LIST file is inserted to the META-INF directory. This enables
the application class loader to download the specified JAR files when
it is searching for classes or resources.
The application class loader uses the information stored in this file
for efficient class loading. To copy directories, first compress files
in dir1 to stdout, then pipeline and extract from stdin to dir2
(omitting the -f option from both jar commands):
(cd dir1; jar c .) | (cd dir2; jar x)
SEE ALSO
· pack200(1).
· The JAR section of The Java Tutorials at
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/deployment/jar/index.html
JDK 8 21 November 2013 jar(1)
