The .tarmd5 file, often encountered within the Android ecosystem, isn’t a file you directly open and interact with like a document or image. Instead, it’s a small text file containing a cryptographic hash, specifically an MD5 checksum. This checksum acts as a digital fingerprint for a corresponding TAR archive (.tar). Think of it like a unique identifier verifying the archive’s contents haven’t been tampered with during download, transfer, or storage. If the archive is corrupted or altered in any way, the MD5 checksum calculated from the modified archive will differ from the one stored in the .tarmd5 file. This discrepancy immediately alerts you to potential problems, ensuring data integrity. The process relies on a one-way function; you can’t reconstruct the original TAR file from the checksum, only verify its authenticity.
You don’t “open” a .tarmd5 file in the traditional sense. Instead, you use a separate MD5 checksum verification tool or software to compare the checksum within the .tarmd5 file against the checksum you calculate from the associated TAR archive. Many command-line tools and graphical utilities offer this functionality. For example, you might use a command like `md5sum archive.tar` to calculate the checksum of your TAR file and then compare the result with the contents of the .tarmd5 file. Discrepancies indicate a corrupted or altered archive. Understanding this process helps ensure the safety and reliability of your Android data, especially when dealing with downloaded files or system updates.