Bash cp - Copy Files and Directories

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

It's like making a duplicate of your file or folder.

To copy a file, use cp source_file destination_file :

The cp command has options to change how it works:

• -r - Copy all files and folders inside a directory
• -i - Ask before replacing files
• -u - Copy only if the source is newer
• -v - Verbose mode, show files being copied

The -v option enables verbose mode, which displays the files being copied in the terminal.

This is useful for tracking the copy process, especially when dealing with many files.

The -r option lets you copy entire directories, including all files and subdirectories.

The -i option will prompt you before overwriting files, helping you avoid accidental replacements.

The -u option copies files only if the source file is newer than the destination file.

Wildcards allow you to copy multiple files at once. For example, cp *.txt /destination/ will copy all text files to the destination folder.