What does the 'v' option in the tar command stand for?

The 'v' option in the tar command stands for "verbose." When you use this option, tar provides detailed output about the files being processed, showing the names of the files as they are added to the archive or extracted. This is particularly useful for users who want to see which files are being handled at any given moment, especially when dealing with large archives that contain many files. The verbose output allows for better tracking of the operation and can help in troubleshooting if there are issues during the archiving or extraction process.