diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 71bd692..9051bb2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ A simple utility to create tarballs with a specific directory structure.
 This project includes Docker support to build binaries for different platforms:
 
 ```bash
-docker compose up --build build
+docker compose up --build
 ```
 
 This will create these binaries in the `./bin` directory:
@@ -31,21 +31,26 @@ This will create these binaries in the `./bin` directory:
 You can run the included tests to verify functionality:
 
 ```bash
-# Run the basic functionality test
-docker compose up --build test
+# Run all tests
+docker compose up --build
 
-# Run comparison test with standard tar tools
-docker compose up --build tar-test
+# Run specific test types
+docker compose run tarballer /bin/test.sh basic
+docker compose run tarballer /bin/test.sh tar
 ```
 
-The tests will:
-1. Create test directory structures with nested directories and symlinks
-2. Create tarballs from them
-3. Extract the tarballs using standard tools
-4. Verify the contents and file structure, including symlinks
-5. Check that symlinks remain functional after extraction
-6. Compare output with standard tar tools to ensure compatibility
-7. Verify data integrity with MD5 hashing (original vs. extracted files)
+All tests run inside the container using its `/tmp` directory, ensuring no temporary files are written to the host filesystem.
+
+The tests verify:
+1. Creating test directory structures with nested directories and symlinks
+2. Creating tarballs from test directories
+3. Extracting the tarballs
+4. Verifying the contents and file structure, including symlinks
+5. Checking that symlinks remain functional after extraction
+6. Comparing output with standard tar tools to ensure compatibility
+7. Verifying data integrity with MD5 hashing (original vs. extracted files)
+
+See the `test/README.md` for more details on the test process.
 
 ## Usage
 
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 2e9e0ad..f66bf2e 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ services:
     volumes:
       - ./bin:/output
       - ./test:/test
-      - ./test-tmp:/test-tmp
       - .:/workdir
     working_dir: /workdir
-    command: sh -c "cp /app/tarballer-freebsd /output/ && cp /app/tarballer-darwin /output/ && cp /app/tarballer-linux /output/ && chmod +x /output/tarballer-* && mkdir -p /test-tmp && /bin/test.sh all" 
\ No newline at end of file
+    command: sh -c "cp /app/tarballer-freebsd /output/ && cp /app/tarballer-darwin /output/ && cp /app/tarballer-linux /output/ && chmod +x /output/tarballer-* && /bin/test.sh all" 
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/README.md b/test/README.md
index ba20bfb..41d8329 100644
--- a/test/README.md
+++ b/test/README.md
@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@ This directory contains test scripts for validating the functionality of the Tar
 
 ## Test Environment
 
-All tests run in a Docker container with temporary files stored in the `/test-tmp` directory. This directory is:
+All tests run in a Docker container with temporary files stored in the container's `/tmp` directory. This directory is:
 
-1. Git-ignored to prevent cluttering the repository
-2. Automatically created by the Docker container
-3. Cleaned up after tests complete (unless you specify otherwise)
+1. Automatically created and managed by the container
+2. Cleaned up after tests complete (unless you specify otherwise)
+3. Internal to the container, so no files are written to the host filesystem
 
 ## Running Tests
 
@@ -39,13 +39,13 @@ The test script (`test.sh`) supports several test types:
 
 ## Test Directory Structure
 
-The tests create the following structure in the `/test-tmp` directory:
+The tests create the following structure in the container's `/tmp` directory:
 
-- `/test-tmp/complex/` - Directory with complex nested structure for basic test
-- `/test-tmp/complex-extracted/` - Where the complex test tarball is extracted
-- `/test-tmp/standard-test/` - Directory with sample app structure for tar comparison
-- `/test-tmp/standard-extracted/` - Where our utility's tarball is extracted
-- `/test-tmp/reference-extracted/` - Where standard tar's tarball is extracted
+- `/tmp/complex/` - Directory with complex nested structure for basic test
+- `/tmp/complex-extracted/` - Where the complex test tarball is extracted
+- `/tmp/standard-test/` - Directory with sample app structure for tar comparison
+- `/tmp/standard-extracted/` - Where our utility's tarball is extracted
+- `/tmp/reference-extracted/` - Where standard tar's tarball is extracted
 
 ## Manual Testing
 
@@ -63,4 +63,4 @@ If you need to manually test the tarballer utility, you can:
 
 ## Modifying Tests
 
-When modifying tests, ensure any temporary files are created within the `/test-tmp` directory structure to keep the repository clean. 
\ No newline at end of file
+When modifying tests, keep in mind that the test script uses the container's `/tmp` directory for all temporary files. This keeps the test process self-contained within the container. 
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/test.sh b/test/test.sh
index 169c2e7..13190be 100755
--- a/test/test.sh
+++ b/test/test.sh
@@ -9,10 +9,10 @@ KEEP_TEMP_FILES=${2:-0}
 cleanup_files() {
   if [ "$KEEP_TEMP_FILES" -eq 0 ]; then
     echo "=== CLEANING UP TEMPORARY FILES ==="
-    rm -rf /test-tmp/complex /test-tmp/complex-extracted
-    rm -f /test-tmp/complex-original-md5.txt /test-tmp/complex-extracted-md5.txt
-    rm -rf /test-tmp/standard-test /test-tmp/standard-extracted /test-tmp/reference-extracted
-    rm -f /test-tmp/original-checksums.txt /test-tmp/standard-checksums.txt /test-tmp/reference-checksums.txt
+    rm -rf /tmp/complex /tmp/complex-extracted
+    rm -f /tmp/complex-original-md5.txt /tmp/complex-extracted-md5.txt
+    rm -rf /tmp/standard-test /tmp/standard-extracted /tmp/reference-extracted
+    rm -f /tmp/original-checksums.txt /tmp/standard-checksums.txt /tmp/reference-checksums.txt
     rm -f /workdir/complex.tar.gz /workdir/standard.tar.gz /workdir/reference.tar.gz
     echo "Temporary files cleaned up"
   else
@@ -24,75 +24,75 @@ run_basic_test() {
   echo "=== RUNNING BASIC TEST ==="
   
   # Clean up existing test directories
-  rm -rf /test-tmp/complex /test-tmp/complex-extracted
-  rm -f /test-tmp/complex-original-md5.txt /test-tmp/complex-extracted-md5.txt
+  rm -rf /tmp/complex /tmp/complex-extracted
+  rm -f /tmp/complex-original-md5.txt /tmp/complex-extracted-md5.txt
 
   # Create complex directory structure
-  mkdir -p /test-tmp/complex/dir1/subdir1/subsubdir1
-  mkdir -p /test-tmp/complex/dir1/subdir2
-  mkdir -p /test-tmp/complex/dir2/subdir1
+  mkdir -p /tmp/complex/dir1/subdir1/subsubdir1
+  mkdir -p /tmp/complex/dir1/subdir2
+  mkdir -p /tmp/complex/dir2/subdir1
 
   # Create files at different levels
-  echo 'root level file' > /test-tmp/complex/rootfile.txt
-  echo 'level 1 file in dir1' > /test-tmp/complex/dir1/file1.txt
-  echo 'level 1 file in dir2' > /test-tmp/complex/dir2/file2.txt
-  echo 'level 2 file in subdir1' > /test-tmp/complex/dir1/subdir1/file3.txt
-  echo 'level 2 file in subdir2' > /test-tmp/complex/dir1/subdir2/file4.txt
-  echo 'level 3 file in subsubdir1' > /test-tmp/complex/dir1/subdir1/subsubdir1/file5.txt
+  echo 'root level file' > /tmp/complex/rootfile.txt
+  echo 'level 1 file in dir1' > /tmp/complex/dir1/file1.txt
+  echo 'level 1 file in dir2' > /tmp/complex/dir2/file2.txt
+  echo 'level 2 file in subdir1' > /tmp/complex/dir1/subdir1/file3.txt
+  echo 'level 2 file in subdir2' > /tmp/complex/dir1/subdir2/file4.txt
+  echo 'level 3 file in subsubdir1' > /tmp/complex/dir1/subdir1/subsubdir1/file5.txt
 
   # Create a symbolic link with a relative path instead of absolute
-  cd /test-tmp/complex/dir2 && ln -s ../rootfile.txt symlink.txt && cd /workdir
+  cd /tmp/complex/dir2 && ln -s ../rootfile.txt symlink.txt && cd /workdir
 
   # Calculate MD5 hashes of original files for verification
-  find /test-tmp/complex -type f | sort | xargs md5sum > /test-tmp/complex-original-md5.txt
+  find /tmp/complex -type f | sort | xargs md5sum > /tmp/complex-original-md5.txt
 
   # Print the original structure for reference
   echo '=== ORIGINAL DIRECTORY STRUCTURE ==='
-  find /test-tmp/complex -type f -o -type l | sort
+  find /tmp/complex -type f -o -type l | sort
 
   # Create the tarball
-  /bin/tarballer -source /test-tmp/complex -output /workdir/complex.tar.gz -prefix complex-app
+  /bin/tarballer -source /tmp/complex -output /workdir/complex.tar.gz -prefix complex-app
 
   # Extract the tarball
-  mkdir -p /test-tmp/complex-extracted
-  tar -xzf /workdir/complex.tar.gz -C /test-tmp/complex-extracted
+  mkdir -p /tmp/complex-extracted
+  tar -xzf /workdir/complex.tar.gz -C /tmp/complex-extracted
 
   # Verify the extracted structure
   echo '=== EXTRACTED DIRECTORY STRUCTURE ==='
-  find /test-tmp/complex-extracted -type f -o -type l | sort
+  find /tmp/complex-extracted -type f -o -type l | sort
 
   # Calculate MD5 hashes of extracted files
-  find /test-tmp/complex-extracted -type f | sort | xargs md5sum > /test-tmp/complex-extracted-md5.txt
+  find /tmp/complex-extracted -type f | sort | xargs md5sum > /tmp/complex-extracted-md5.txt
 
   # Compare file content
   echo '=== VERIFYING FILE CONTENTS ==='
-  cat /test-tmp/complex/rootfile.txt
+  cat /tmp/complex/rootfile.txt
   echo ' <-- Original: rootfile.txt'
-  cat /test-tmp/complex-extracted/complex-app/rootfile.txt
+  cat /tmp/complex-extracted/complex-app/rootfile.txt
   echo ' <-- Extracted: rootfile.txt'
 
-  cat /test-tmp/complex/dir1/subdir1/subsubdir1/file5.txt
+  cat /tmp/complex/dir1/subdir1/subsubdir1/file5.txt
   echo ' <-- Original: deep nested file5.txt'
-  cat /test-tmp/complex-extracted/complex-app/dir1/subdir1/subsubdir1/file5.txt
+  cat /tmp/complex-extracted/complex-app/dir1/subdir1/subsubdir1/file5.txt
   echo ' <-- Extracted: deep nested file5.txt'
 
   # Test symlink
   echo '=== TESTING SYMLINK ==='
-  ls -la /test-tmp/complex/dir2/symlink.txt
-  ls -la /test-tmp/complex-extracted/complex-app/dir2/symlink.txt
+  ls -la /tmp/complex/dir2/symlink.txt
+  ls -la /tmp/complex-extracted/complex-app/dir2/symlink.txt
 
   # Verify MD5 hashes
   echo '=== MD5 HASH VERIFICATION ==='
   echo 'Original file hashes:'
-  cat /test-tmp/complex-original-md5.txt
+  cat /tmp/complex-original-md5.txt
   echo 'Extracted file hashes:'
-  cat /test-tmp/complex-extracted-md5.txt
+  cat /tmp/complex-extracted-md5.txt
 
   # Verify hash comparison
   echo '=== COMPARING FILE HASHES ==='
   
   # Extract just file paths from original hashes
-  ORIG_FILES=$(cat /test-tmp/complex-original-md5.txt | awk '{print $2}' | sort)
+  ORIG_FILES=$(cat /tmp/complex-original-md5.txt | awk '{print $2}' | sort)
   
   # For each original file, check if its corresponding extracted file has the same hash
   ALL_MATCH=1
@@ -101,10 +101,10 @@ run_basic_test() {
     FILENAME=$(basename "$SOURCE_FILE")
     
     # Find the corresponding hash from original file
-    ORIG_HASH=$(grep "$SOURCE_FILE" /test-tmp/complex-original-md5.txt | awk '{print $1}')
+    ORIG_HASH=$(grep "$SOURCE_FILE" /tmp/complex-original-md5.txt | awk '{print $1}')
     
     # Find the corresponding file in the extracted directory and get its hash
-    EXTRACTED_FILE=$(find /test-tmp/complex-extracted -name "$FILENAME" | head -1)
+    EXTRACTED_FILE=$(find /tmp/complex-extracted -name "$FILENAME" | head -1)
     
     if [ -z "$EXTRACTED_FILE" ]; then
       echo "ERROR: File $FILENAME not found in extracted directory"
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ run_basic_test() {
       continue
     fi
     
-    EXTRACTED_HASH=$(grep "$EXTRACTED_FILE" /test-tmp/complex-extracted-md5.txt | awk '{print $1}')
+    EXTRACTED_HASH=$(grep "$EXTRACTED_FILE" /tmp/complex-extracted-md5.txt | awk '{print $1}')
     
     if [ "$ORIG_HASH" != "$EXTRACTED_HASH" ]; then
       echo "ERROR: Hash mismatch for $FILENAME: original=$ORIG_HASH extracted=$EXTRACTED_HASH"
@@ -135,66 +135,66 @@ run_tar_comparison_test() {
   echo "=== RUNNING TAR COMPARISON TEST ==="
   
   # Clean up test directories
-  rm -rf /test-tmp/standard-test /test-tmp/standard-extracted /test-tmp/reference-extracted
-  rm -f /test-tmp/original-checksums.txt /test-tmp/standard-checksums.txt /test-tmp/reference-checksums.txt
+  rm -rf /tmp/standard-test /tmp/standard-extracted /tmp/reference-extracted
+  rm -f /tmp/original-checksums.txt /tmp/standard-checksums.txt /tmp/reference-checksums.txt
 
   # Create a diverse test directory structure
-  mkdir -p /test-tmp/standard-test/config/settings
-  mkdir -p /test-tmp/standard-test/data/user/documents
-  mkdir -p /test-tmp/standard-test/data/user/pictures
-  mkdir -p /test-tmp/standard-test/logs
+  mkdir -p /tmp/standard-test/config/settings
+  mkdir -p /tmp/standard-test/data/user/documents
+  mkdir -p /tmp/standard-test/data/user/pictures
+  mkdir -p /tmp/standard-test/logs
 
   # Create various file types
-  echo '{"app": "tarballer", "version": "1.0"}' > /test-tmp/standard-test/config/settings/app.json
-  echo 'debug=true' > /test-tmp/standard-test/config/settings/debug.conf
-  dd if=/dev/urandom bs=1K count=10 of=/test-tmp/standard-test/data/user/documents/binary.dat 2>/dev/null
-  echo 'Test log entry 1' > /test-tmp/standard-test/logs/app.log
-  echo 'Test log entry 2' >> /test-tmp/standard-test/logs/app.log
+  echo '{"app": "tarballer", "version": "1.0"}' > /tmp/standard-test/config/settings/app.json
+  echo 'debug=true' > /tmp/standard-test/config/settings/debug.conf
+  dd if=/dev/urandom bs=1K count=10 of=/tmp/standard-test/data/user/documents/binary.dat 2>/dev/null
+  echo 'Test log entry 1' > /tmp/standard-test/logs/app.log
+  echo 'Test log entry 2' >> /tmp/standard-test/logs/app.log
 
   # Create symlinks
-  ln -s ../config/settings/app.json /test-tmp/standard-test/data/config-link.json
-  ln -s ../../logs/app.log /test-tmp/standard-test/data/user/log-link.txt
+  ln -s ../config/settings/app.json /tmp/standard-test/data/config-link.json
+  ln -s ../../logs/app.log /tmp/standard-test/data/user/log-link.txt
 
   # Store MD5 hashes of original files for comparison
-  find /test-tmp/standard-test -type f | sort | xargs md5sum > /test-tmp/original-checksums.txt
+  find /tmp/standard-test -type f | sort | xargs md5sum > /tmp/original-checksums.txt
 
   # Create tarball using our utility
-  /bin/tarballer -source /test-tmp/standard-test -output /workdir/standard.tar.gz -prefix app
+  /bin/tarballer -source /tmp/standard-test -output /workdir/standard.tar.gz -prefix app
 
   # Create a reference tarball using standard tar for comparison
-  tar -czf /workdir/reference.tar.gz -C /test-tmp/standard-test --transform 's,^./,app/,' .
+  tar -czf /workdir/reference.tar.gz -C /tmp/standard-test --transform 's,^./,app/,' .
 
   echo '=== TARBALLER OUTPUT ==='
-  mkdir -p /test-tmp/standard-extracted
-  tar -xzf /workdir/standard.tar.gz -C /test-tmp/standard-extracted
-  find /test-tmp/standard-extracted -type f -o -type l | sort
+  mkdir -p /tmp/standard-extracted
+  tar -xzf /workdir/standard.tar.gz -C /tmp/standard-extracted
+  find /tmp/standard-extracted -type f -o -type l | sort
 
   # Extract reference tarball
   echo '=== REFERENCE TAR OUTPUT ==='
-  mkdir -p /test-tmp/reference-extracted
-  tar -xzf /workdir/reference.tar.gz -C /test-tmp/reference-extracted
-  find /test-tmp/reference-extracted -type f -o -type l | sort
+  mkdir -p /tmp/reference-extracted
+  tar -xzf /workdir/reference.tar.gz -C /tmp/reference-extracted
+  find /tmp/reference-extracted -type f -o -type l | sort
 
   # Verify checksums match for all extracted files
   echo '=== CHECKSUMS OF EXTRACTED FILES ==='
-  find /test-tmp/standard-extracted -type f | sort | xargs md5sum > /test-tmp/standard-checksums.txt
-  find /test-tmp/reference-extracted -type f | sort | xargs md5sum > /test-tmp/reference-checksums.txt
+  find /tmp/standard-extracted -type f | sort | xargs md5sum > /tmp/standard-checksums.txt
+  find /tmp/reference-extracted -type f | sort | xargs md5sum > /tmp/reference-checksums.txt
 
   echo 'ORIGINAL FILE CHECKSUMS:'
-  cat /test-tmp/original-checksums.txt
+  cat /tmp/original-checksums.txt
 
   echo 'TARBALLER EXTRACTED CHECKSUMS:'
-  cat /test-tmp/standard-checksums.txt
+  cat /tmp/standard-checksums.txt
 
   echo 'REFERENCE TAR EXTRACTED CHECKSUMS:'
-  cat /test-tmp/reference-checksums.txt
+  cat /tmp/reference-checksums.txt
 
   # Compare MD5 checksums systematically
   echo '=== SYSTEMATIC MD5 COMPARISON ==='
 
   # Compare original files to tarballer extraction
   MATCH_COUNT=0
-  EXPECTED_COUNT=$(cat /test-tmp/original-checksums.txt | wc -l)
+  EXPECTED_COUNT=$(cat /tmp/original-checksums.txt | wc -l)
   
   # For each original file, find its corresponding extracted file and compare hashes
   while read -r line; do
@@ -203,11 +203,11 @@ run_tar_comparison_test() {
     FILENAME=$(basename "$ORIG_FILE")
     
     # Find the corresponding file in the extracted directory
-    EXTRACTED_FILE=$(find /test-tmp/standard-extracted -name "$FILENAME" | grep -v ".md5-manifest.txt" | head -1)
+    EXTRACTED_FILE=$(find /tmp/standard-extracted -name "$FILENAME" | grep -v ".md5-manifest.txt" | head -1)
     
     if [ -n "$EXTRACTED_FILE" ]; then
       # Get the hash of the extracted file
-      EXTRACTED_HASH=$(grep "$EXTRACTED_FILE" /test-tmp/standard-checksums.txt | awk '{print $1}')
+      EXTRACTED_HASH=$(grep "$EXTRACTED_FILE" /tmp/standard-checksums.txt | awk '{print $1}')
       
       if [ "$ORIG_HASH" = "$EXTRACTED_HASH" ]; then
         MATCH_COUNT=$((MATCH_COUNT + 1))
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ run_tar_comparison_test() {
         echo "Hash mismatch for $FILENAME: original=$ORIG_HASH extracted=$EXTRACTED_HASH"
       fi
     fi
-  done < /test-tmp/original-checksums.txt
+  done < /tmp/original-checksums.txt
   
   if [ "$MATCH_COUNT" -eq "$EXPECTED_COUNT" ]; then
     echo 'SUCCESS: Tarballer extraction hashes match original files!'
@@ -233,11 +233,11 @@ run_tar_comparison_test() {
     FILENAME=$(basename "$ORIG_FILE")
     
     # Find the corresponding file in the extracted directory
-    EXTRACTED_FILE=$(find /test-tmp/reference-extracted -name "$FILENAME" | head -1)
+    EXTRACTED_FILE=$(find /tmp/reference-extracted -name "$FILENAME" | head -1)
     
     if [ -n "$EXTRACTED_FILE" ]; then
       # Get the hash of the extracted file
-      EXTRACTED_HASH=$(grep "$EXTRACTED_FILE" /test-tmp/reference-checksums.txt | awk '{print $1}')
+      EXTRACTED_HASH=$(grep "$EXTRACTED_FILE" /tmp/reference-checksums.txt | awk '{print $1}')
       
       if [ "$ORIG_HASH" = "$EXTRACTED_HASH" ]; then
         MATCH_COUNT=$((MATCH_COUNT + 1))
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ run_tar_comparison_test() {
         echo "Hash mismatch for $FILENAME: original=$ORIG_HASH reference=$EXTRACTED_HASH"
       fi
     fi
-  done < /test-tmp/original-checksums.txt
+  done < /tmp/original-checksums.txt
   
   if [ "$MATCH_COUNT" -eq "$EXPECTED_COUNT" ]; then
     echo 'SUCCESS: Reference tar extraction hashes match original files!'
@@ -256,21 +256,21 @@ run_tar_comparison_test() {
 
   echo '=== VERIFYING SYMLINKS ==='
   echo 'ORIGINAL SYMLINKS:'
-  find /test-tmp/standard-test -type l -exec ls -la {} \;
+  find /tmp/standard-test -type l -exec ls -la {} \;
   echo 'EXTRACTED SYMLINKS:'
-  find /test-tmp/standard-extracted -type l -exec ls -la {} \;
+  find /tmp/standard-extracted -type l -exec ls -la {} \;
 
   # Compare file counts to ensure all files were extracted
   echo '=== FILE COUNT COMPARISON ==='
-  echo -n 'Original files: ' && find /test-tmp/standard-test -type f | wc -l
-  echo -n 'Extracted files: ' && find /test-tmp/standard-extracted -type f | wc -l
+  echo -n 'Original files: ' && find /tmp/standard-test -type f | wc -l
+  echo -n 'Extracted files: ' && find /tmp/standard-extracted -type f | wc -l
 
   # Test symlink functionality
   echo '=== TESTING SYMLINK CONTENT ==='
   echo 'Original linked content:'
-  cat /test-tmp/standard-test/data/config-link.json
+  cat /tmp/standard-test/data/config-link.json
   echo 'Extracted linked content:'
-  cat /test-tmp/standard-extracted/app/data/config-link.json
+  cat /tmp/standard-extracted/app/data/config-link.json
 
   echo 'Tar comparison test completed successfully!'
   return 0