cp – Copy a source file or directory to a destination file or directory

The cp command is used to copy files or directories from a source location to a destination location. The cp command is a basic command that is used frequently in Linux systems administration.

Overview

The basic syntax of the cp command is:

cp [options] source destination

Here, source can be a file or a directory, and destination can be a file or a directory. If source is a file, then destination must be a file. If source is a directory, then destination must be a directory.

Copying a file

To copy a file, use the following syntax:

cp file.txt /path/to/destination/

This will copy the file file.txt to the /path/to/destination/ directory.

Copying a directory

To copy a directory, use the following syntax:

cp -r /path/to/source/ /path/to/destination/

This will copy the entire directory source to the destination directory. The -r option is used to copy directories recursively.

Overwriting an existing file

If the destination file already exists, cp will overwrite it without prompting for confirmation. To avoid this, use the -i option:

cp -i file.txt /path/to/destination/

This will prompt you for confirmation before overwriting the destination file.

Preserving file attributes

To preserve the file attributes, such as permissions, ownership, and timestamps, use the -p option:

cp -p file.txt /path/to/destination/

This will copy the file file.txt to the /path/to/destination/ directory while preserving its attributes.

Options

Here is a list of the most commonly used options for the cp command:

Option	Description
-r	Copy directories recursively
-i	Prompt before overwriting an existing file
-p	Preserve file attributes
-v	Display progress of the copy operation

Troubleshooting Tips

• If you are copying a large number of files, it may take some time for the cp command to complete. Be patient and wait for the command to finish.
• If you are copying files across different file systems, make sure that the destination file system has enough space to accommodate the files you are copying.
• If you are encountering permission errors, make sure that you have the necessary permissions to read from the source and write to the destination.

Notes

• The cp command does not remove the source file or directory after copying. If you want to remove the source file or directory, use the rm command.
• If you are copying a large number of files, you may want to consider using the rsync command instead of cp. rsync is a more advanced tool that is optimized for copying large amounts of data.