CAB vs TAR
Una comparativa detallada de Windows Cabinet y TAR Archive — tamaño de archivo, calidad, compatibilidad y cuál elegir según tu flujo de trabajo.
Windows Cabinet
Archives & CompressedCAB (Cabinet) is a Windows archive format used for software installers.
Sobre los archivos CABTAR Archive
Archives & CompressedTAR is a Unix archive format that bundles files together without compression. It is commonly combined with gzip or bzip2 for compressed archives and is the standard for Linux software distribution.
Sobre los archivos TARComparativa de ventajas
CAB Ventajas
- Multi-volume — designed for disk-spanning archives.
- Multiple compression algorithms in one format.
- Native Windows support for 30+ years.
- Authenticode signing integrates with Windows security stack.
- Microsoft-maintained tooling (MAKECAB, EXTRAC32, expand.exe).
TAR Ventajas
- Streamable — you can tar files straight to a network pipe, no seek needed.
- Preserves Unix permissions, ownership, symbolic links, and timestamps.
- Universally supported on Unix-like systems.
- Simple format — the GNU tar source has been stable for decades.
- No compression overhead — pair with gzip/xz/zstd as needed.
Limitaciones
CAB Limitaciones
- Windows-only ecosystem — limited Mac/Linux tooling.
- Proprietary container with partial public documentation.
- Overtaken by MSI (which uses CAB internally) for new installers.
- Compression ratios lag modern formats (zstd, xz).
TAR Limitaciones
- No built-in compression — plain .tar files are the same size as their contents.
- No random access — reading one file requires scanning from the start.
- Windows tooling is second-class — PowerShell only added native tar in 2018.
- Multiple incompatible header variants (v7, ustar, POSIX, GNU) over the years.
Especificaciones técnicas
| Especificación | CAB | TAR |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | application/vnd.ms-cab-compressed | application/x-tar |
| Extension | .cab | .tar |
| Compression | MSZIP (DEFLATE), Quantum, LZX | — |
| Max volume size | 2 GB per file | — |
| Multi-volume | Yes (split archive spanning) | — |
| Block size | — | 512 bytes (traditional) |
| Header variants | — | v7, ustar, POSIX.1-2001 (pax), GNU |
| Max filename length | — | 100 bytes (v7); unlimited (pax extended headers) |
Tamaños típicos de archivo
CAB
- Single driver package 100 KB - 20 MB
- Windows Update patch 1-500 MB
- Service pack archive 200 MB - 2 GB
TAR
- 1 MB of source files (uncompressed .tar) ~1 MB
- Same files as .tar.gz 150-400 KB
- Linux kernel source (.tar.xz) ~120 MB
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Frequently Asked Questions
CAB (Windows Cabinet) is an archive format used to bundle multiple files and folders into a single compressed file. The archive preserves the directory structure and typically reduces total size via compression. CAB sits in the archives & compressed family and has specific strengths around compression ratio, speed, or platform support.
TAR (TAR Archive) is an archive format used to bundle multiple files and folders into a single compressed file. The archive preserves the directory structure and typically reduces total size via compression. TAR sits in the archives & compressed family and has specific strengths around compression ratio, speed, or platform support.
7-Zip, WinRAR, The Unarchiver (macOS), and the built-in archive utilities on Windows and macOS open most CAB files. For command-line extraction, 7z, unar, or the format-specific tool handles CAB cleanly. If your extractor does not recognise CAB, convert to ZIP first — ZIP opens on every operating system without extra software.
7-Zip, WinRAR, The Unarchiver (macOS), and the built-in archive utilities on Windows and macOS open most TAR files. For command-line extraction, 7z, unar, or the format-specific tool handles TAR cleanly. If your extractor does not recognise TAR, convert to ZIP first — ZIP opens on every operating system without extra software.
Upload the CAB to KaijuConverter and pick ZIP, 7Z, TAR.GZ, or RAR as the target. Our pipeline extracts the original archive and re-compresses the contents into the target format. File permissions, timestamps, and directory structure are preserved where both formats support them.
Depends on the goal. ZIP is the universal baseline — every OS extracts it out of the box. Formats like 7Z or TAR.GZ compress better but require specific tools. CAB may win on compression ratio, password support, or OS integration for specific workflows; ZIP wins on raw compatibility.