cp command copies a file or group of files
syntax
cp [options] source dest
| Option | Description according to GNU utils |
|---|---|
| -a | Preserve as much as possible of the structure and attributes of the original files in the copy |
| -d | Copy symbolic links as symbolic links rather than copying the files that they point to, and preserve hard links between source files in the copies. |
| -f or –force | This option forces the copy even if the destination folder is not available for writing. |
| -i or –interactive | Displays a message each time a file is to be overwritten. |
| -l | Make hard links instead of copies of non-directories. |
| -R or -r or –recursive | Copy directories recursively. By default, do not follow symbolic links in the source. |
| -s or –symbolic-link | In this case, the command will make symbolic links of all files that are not folders. This replaces a copy. |
| -u or –update | This option does not copy files that have the same or newer modification timestamp in the destination folder. It is an update of a copy. |
| -v or –verbose | Print the name of each file before copying it. |
Examples:-
- cp newfile.txt anotherfile.txt
- cp newfile.txt test/nfile.txt
- cp *.txt *.dat
cat newfile.txt > anotherfile.txt = cp newfile.txt anotherfile.txt