Understanding the cp Command in Bash | by Javascript Jeep🚙💨

The cp command in Bash is used to copy files and directories from one location to another.

Copy Command Syntax and Explanation

The basic syntax of the cp command is:

cp [OPTION]... SOURCE... DESTINATION

SOURCE: The file or directory you want to copy.
DESTINATION: The location where you want to place the copied file or directory.
OPTION: Optional flags that modify the behavior of the cp command.

Commonly used options include:

-r or -R: Recursively copy directories and their contents.
-i: Prompt before overwriting an existing file.
-u: Copy only when the SOURCE file is newer than the DESTINATION file or when the DESTINATION file is missing.
-v: Verbose mode, which shows the files being copied.
-T: Treat the destination as a normal file. This is useful when you don’t want to create a new directory at the destination.
-f: Force the copy operation by removing the destination file if it cannot be opened.