Linux: include hidden files in tar archive

When you create a tar archive of a directory tree the hidden files are normally not included. Here’s how to include the hidden files.

Say you have a web directory called “/var/www/html/mysite/” that contains the following tree:

Normally you would use the tar command like this:

This way all files are tarred except the .htaccess files.

The solution is actually quite simple: replace the asterisk (*) by a dot (.):

This way the .htaccess files are included in the tarfile.