Uploading an entire site or script in a ZIP archive then decompressing via SSH is useful, time-saving, and increases your geek webmaster points by +5. Here’s how to do it:

First you need the right tools and setup: Start by making sure you have Shell access enabled for your domain. You are also going to need a SSH client — for Windows users we recommend PuTTY, it’s free. (For Mac or Unix check out this info on how to access SSH.)

Now take the ZIP file, and FTP it to the directory you want the files decompressed to. After it has finished uploading, run PuTTY. Enter the domain and use your FTP login and password to get in.

You will now see the [server]$ prompt, with [server] being the name of your server eg [sprite]$.
Now type the following:

[server]$ ls

- This will display a list of your directories.

Now type:

[server]$ cd subdomain.domain.com

- cd being the command to Change Directory. And subdomain.domain.com being the name of the directory you uploaded your ZIP file to.

Next enter:

[server]$ ls

You should see the name of the ZIP file you uploaded. Now enter:

[server]$ unzip yourfilename.zip

Depending on how many files are in the zip, it might take a while to finish. But, when it does you will have all your files decompressed, exactly where you wanted them. Fancy, eh?