cp (copy files and directories) in Linux CLI - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Copy Files and Directories Using cp Command

📖 Scenario: You are organizing your documents and want to make copies of important files and folders to a backup directory.

🎯 Goal: Learn how to use the cp command to copy files and directories in Linux.

📋 What You'll Learn

Use the cp command to copy files

Use the cp -r option to copy directories recursively

Understand how to specify source and destination paths

Verify the copied files and directories

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Copying files and folders is a common task when backing up data or organizing files on your computer.

💼 Career

Knowing how to use the <code>cp</code> command is essential for system administrators, developers, and anyone working with Linux or Unix systems.

1

Create a file to copy

Create a file named report.txt with the exact content Monthly sales report using the echo command and redirect it to the file.

Linux CLI

# Create the file report.txt with the content 'Monthly sales report'
echo "Monthly sales report" > report.txt

Need a hint?

Use echo "text" > filename to create a file with text.

2

Create a directory to copy

Create a directory named backup using the mkdir command.

Linux CLI

echo "Monthly sales report" > report.txt
# Create a directory named backup
mkdir backup

Need a hint?

Use mkdir directory_name to create a directory.

3

Copy the file to the directory

Use the cp command to copy the file report.txt into the backup directory.

Linux CLI

echo "Monthly sales report" > report.txt
mkdir backup
# Copy report.txt into backup directory
cp report.txt backup/

Need a hint?

Use cp source_file destination_directory/ to copy a file.

4

Verify the copied file

Use the ls command to list the contents of the backup directory and confirm that report.txt is copied.

Linux CLI

echo "Monthly sales report" > report.txt
mkdir backup
cp report.txt backup/
# List files in backup directory
ls backup

Need a hint?

Use ls directory_name to see files inside a directory.