Linux File Operations: cp, mv, rm, mkdir, touch

Learn touch, cp, mv, rm, mkdir — file and directory manipulation.

Core Concept

Key commands:

• touch → create empty file / update timestamp
• cp → copy files/directories
• mv → move or rename
• rm → delete files/directories

Example

# Create files & directories
touch file1.txt
mkdir project

# Copy file
cp file1.txt project/

# Copy directory
cp -r project backup_project

# Move / rename
mv file1.txt file2.txt
mv file2.txt project/

# Delete file
rm project/file2.txt

# Delete directory
rm -r backup_project

Best Practice

• Use -i for safety (interactive)
• Avoid accidental deletes
• Prefer verbose mode for clarity
• Use absolute paths in scripts
• Backup before bulk operations
• Use rsync instead of cp for large data