7. Working with Files and Directories: mkdir, touch, cp, mv

Managing files is essential. These commands allow you to create, copy, and move data.

1. Creating Directories (mkdir)

mkdir stands for Make Directory. It creates a new folder.

bash

Create a folder named 'scripts'

$ mkdir scripts

Create nested folders (requires -p flag: parent)

$ mkdir -p projects/python/scripts

2. Creating Empty Files (touch)

touch is used to create an empty file or update the timestamp of an existing file.

bash

Create an empty text file

$ touch notes.txt

Create a simple bash script file

$ touch my_first_script.sh $ ls notes.txt my_first_script.sh scripts

3. Copying Files and Directories (cp)

cp stands for Copy. Syntax: cp [source] [destination].

bash

Copy notes.txt to the scripts folder

$ cp notes.txt scripts/notes_backup.txt

To copy an entire directory, you must use the -r (recursive) flag

$ cp -r scripts/ projects/backups

4. Moving and Renaming (mv)

mv stands for Move. It is used both to move a file/directory and to rename it.

bash

Rename notes.txt to important_notes.txt

$ mv notes.txt important_notes.txt

Move the renamed file into the projects directory

$ mv important_notes.txt projects/python/.