How to use tar to backup files on CnetOS

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command line
$ tar cvpzf backup_file_name.tgz path_to_the_file_you_want_to_back_up
'cvpfz' are the options we give to tar, like 'create archive' (obviously),
'preserve permissions'(to keep the same permissions on everything the same), and 'gzip' to keep the size down.
example
sudo tar cvpzf drupal.backup.tgz ./drupal/*