---
name: "rdsquashfs"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "squashfs-tools-ng"
version: "1.3.2-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/rdsquashfs"
---

# rdsquashfs(1)

tool to examine or uncompress SquashFS filesystems

## NAME

rdsquashfs - tool to examine or uncompress SquashFS filesystems

## SYNOPSIS

**rdsquashfs** \[*OPTIONS*\] *\<squashfs-file\>*

## DESCRIPTION

View or extract the contents of a squashfs image.

The following options can be used to specify what operation to perform. One of those has to be present:

- **--list**, **-l** \<path\>

  Produce a directory listing similar to **ls -l** for a given path in the SquashFS image.

- **--cat**, **-c** \<path\>

  If the specified path is a regular file in the image, extract it and dump its contents to stdout.

- **--xattr**, **-x** \<path\>

  If the inode that the specified path resolves to has extended attributes, dump them as key value pairs to stdout.

- **--unpack-path**, **-u** \<path\>

  Unpack the specified sub directory from the image. To unpack everything, simply specify /.

- **--describe**, **-d**

  Produce a file listing from the image compatible with the format consumed by gensquashfs.

- **--stat**, **-s** \<path\>

  Dump all available information about the inode that the path refers to, including SquashFS specific internals such as the on-disk layout of a file or the fast lookup index stored in an extended directory inode.

The following options can be used to control the behaviour of the specified operation:

- **--unpack-root**, **-p** \<path\>

  If used with **--unpack-path**, this is where the data is unpacked to. If used with **--describe**, this is used as a prefix for the input path of regular files.

- **--no-dev**, **-D**

  Skip device special files when parsing the filesystem tree.

- **--no-sock**, **-S**

  Skip socket files when parsing the filesystem tree.

- **--no-fifo**, **-F**

  Skip named pipes when parsing the filesystem tree.

- **--no-slink**, **-L**

  Skip symbolic links when parsing the filesystem tree.

- **--no-empty-dir**, **-E**

  Skip empty directories, including ones that are empty after applying the above rules.

The following options are specific to unpacking files from a SquashFS image to disk:

- **--no-sparse**, **-Z**

  Do not create sparse files. Always unpack sparse files by writing blocks of zeros to disk.

- **--set-xattr**, **-X**

  Set the extended attributes from the SquashFS image.

- **--set-times**, **-T**

  Set the create and modify timestamps of the file to the mtime from the SquashFS image.

- **--chmod**, **-C**

  Change permission flags of unpacked files to those stored in the SquashFS image.

- **--chown**, **-O**

  Change ownership of unpacked files to the UID/GID set in the SquashFS image.

- **--quiet**, **-q**

  Do not print out progress while unpacking.

Other options:

- **--help**, **-h**

  Print help text and exit.

- **--version**, **-V**

  Print version information and exit.

## SEE ALSO

[gensquashfs(1)](/gensquashfs/1.md), [sqfs2tar(1)](/sqfs2tar/1.md), [sqfsdiff(1)](/sqfsdiff/1.md)

## AUTHOR

Written by David Oberhollenzer.

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2019 David Oberhollenzer License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later \<https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html\>.\
 This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.