`tar --help` : `-I, --use-compress-program=PROG` tar -I 'xz -9' -cvf foo.tar.xz foo/ tar -I 'gzip -9' -cvf foo.tar.gz foo/ also compress with external compressors: tar -I 'lz4 -9' -cvf foo.tar.lz4 foo/ tar -I 'zstd -19' -cvf foo.tar.zst foo/ decompress external compressors: tar -I lz4 -xvf foo.tar.lz4 tar -I zstd -xvf foo.tar.zst list archive external compressors: tar -I lz4 -tvf foo.tar.lz4 tar -I zstd -tvf foo.tar.zst