Understanding 'mkdir' Command in Linux
The `mkdir` command in Linux (and other Unix-like operating
systems) stands for "make directory".
It is used to create new directories (folders) in the file system.
Syntax
------
mkdir [OPTION] DIRECTORY_NAME
- DIRECTORY_NAME: This is the name of the directory you want to
create.
- [OPTION]: Optional flags to modify how the command works.
How it Works
------------
When you run the `mkdir` command, it creates a new directory at the
location you specify.
If no location is specified, the directory is created in your current
working directory (the folder you're currently "in" in the terminal).
Example: Basic Usage
--------------------
1. To create a directory named `my_folder`, you would run:
mkdir my_folder
This creates a folder named `my_folder` in your current directory.
2. If you want to create the directory somewhere else, specify the full
path:
mkdir /home/user/documents/my_folder
This creates `my_folder` inside the `/home/user/documents/`
directory.
Common Options for `mkdir`
--------------------------
- `-p` (parents): Create parent directories if they don't exist. For
example:
mkdir -p /home/user/documents/folder1/folder2
If `folder1` doesn't exist, this command will create both `folder1` and
`folder2`.
- `-v` (verbose): Show a message for each created directory:
mkdir -v my_folder
The output will be something like:
mkdir: created directory 'my_folder'
Error Handling
--------------
- If the directory already exists, you'll get an error message:
mkdir: cannot create directory 'my_folder': File exists
- If you don't have the required permissions to create the directory in
a certain location, you'll get a permission denied error:
mkdir: cannot create directory '/restricted_folder': Permission
denied
In this case, you might need to use `sudo` for administrative
privileges:
sudo mkdir /restricted_folder
