Working with Files

mkdir name creates a folder; touch name creates an empty file. cp source dest copies, mv source dest moves (or renames — the same command does both, since a rename is really just a move to a new name in the same place).

Example: building up a small project structure

$ mkdir project
$ touch project/notes.txt
$ cp project/notes.txt project/notes-backup.txt
$ mv project/notes.txt project/README.txt

The result: a project/ folder containing README.txt and notes-backup.txt (the original notes.txt was renamed, not duplicated, by that last mv). rm name deletes a file — there's no recycle bin at the command line, so it's genuinely permanent the moment you press enter. Add -r to rm/cp to work on an entire folder recursively — and be especially careful with rm -r, since a mistyped path can delete far more than intended with no confirmation prompt by default.