cp stands for copy.
What is the cp Command?
The cp command copies content from one file to another or to a new file. It can copy files recursively, so if a file is inside a directory, you can use its full path to copy it to another location.
Syntax:
cp [source_file] [destination_file]
Example 1: Copy content from one file to another
Command:
cp school_file canteen_file
Output:
Terminal shows nothing. But if you check canteen_file, you will see it now contains all the content of school_file. The original school_file content stays safe.
Explanation:
- After running the command, all content from school_file is copied into canteen_file without losing any content.
- The content of the second file (canteen_file) is not lost; it now contains the copied content from school_file.
Example 2: Copy directories with the -r option
If you want to copy directories (folders) along with all their files and subdirectories, you need to use the -r (recursive) option.
Command:
cp -r folder1/ folder2/
Output:
No message appears on the terminal.
Explanation:
- This copies folder1 and everything inside it to folder2.
- Without -r, trying to copy a folder will give an error.
