How To Use Mkdir Command on Linux

In this tutorial, we will show you how to use the mkdir command on Linux. For those of you who didn’t know, The primary purpose of mkdir is to create directories or folders within a Linux filesystem. This command is essential for organizing files and data efficiently. Creating directories is a fundamental step in maintaining a well-structured file system.

This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of the use of mkdir (Make Directory Command) on Linux. You can follow the same instructions for Ubuntu and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint.

Prerequisites

• A server running one of the following operating systems: Ubuntu or any other Debian-based or RHEL-based distribution.
• It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
• SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
• A non-root sudo user or access to the root user. We recommend acting as a non-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.

Mkdir Command on Linux

Step 1. First, make sure that all your system packages are up-to-date by running the following apt commands in the terminal.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Step 2. Linux mkdir Command Syntax.

The syntax for the mkdir a command is as follows:

mkdir [OPTION] [DIRECTORY]

For example, create directories using mkdir:

mkdir idroot

For example, create a directory structure with the missing parent directories (if any) using mkdir:

mkdir -p /home/idroot/film/genre/

For example, create multiple directories using mkdir:

mkdir dir1 dir2 dir3 dir 4

For example, Set Permissions when creating a directory:

mkdir -m 700 newdir

The below command will display all the available options and provide other assistance related to the mkdir command:

mkdir --help

Step 4. Advanced Usage.

Now that you are well-versed in the basics of the mkdir command, let’s explore some advanced usage scenarios that can be particularly useful in various situations.

1. Creating Directories within a Script

Shell scripts are powerful tools for automating tasks, including directory creation. You can combine the mkdir command with other commands and logic within a script to create directories dynamically.

Here’s a simple example of a shell script that creates directories based on user input:

#!/bin/bash
echo "Enter the directory name:"
read dirname
mkdir "$dirname"
echo "Directory '$dirname' created successfully."

This script prompts the user for a directory name and then uses mkdir to create it.

2. Creating Directories with Specific Ownership

By default, directories created with mkdir inherit the ownership of the user who executed the command. However, you can change the ownership of a directory using the chown command.

For example, to change the owner of a directory named “my_directory” to a user named “new_owner,” use:

sudo chown new_owner:new_owner my_directory

This command changes both the owner and the group of the directory.

Congratulations! You have successfully learned the mkdir command. Thanks for using this tutorial to explain how to create directories with the mkdir command. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official Ubuntu website.