cp

cp is a Linux command that copies files and directories.

Common flags

Flag	Description
-a	Archive mode — preserves permissions, timestamps, ownership, and copies directories recursively (equivalent to -dR --preserve=all)
-r	Recursively copy directories
-v	Verbose — print what is being copied
-i	Interactive — prompt before overwriting
-u	Copy only when the source is newer than the destination
-p	Preserve file attributes (mode, ownership, timestamps)

Examples

cp -a /source/dir /destination/dir

Recursively copies /source/dir to /destination/dir while preserving all file attributes.

cp -iv file.txt backup/

Copies file.txt to backup/ with verbose output and a confirmation prompt before overwriting.