LOW risk. Creates directories only, no destructive action.

mkdir

Q: What does mkdir do?

Create one or more new directories. mkdir creates directories. The -p flag creates all parent directories as needed and suppresses errors if already existing — ideal for idempotent scripts and CI pipelines.

Create one or more new directories.

low risk

interactive breakdown — edit the command and press Explain

What it does

mkdir creates directories. The -p flag creates all parent directories as needed and suppresses errors if already existing — ideal for idempotent scripts and CI pipelines.

Common flags

Flag	Meaning
`-p` `--parents`	Create parent dirs as needed, no error if existing
`-m` `--mode`	Set permissions for the new directory (like chmod)
`-v` `--verbose`	Print a message for each created directory

Examples

mkdir -p /opt/app/{logs,config,data}Create app directory with three subdirectories via brace expansion · explain & risk-check →

mkdir -m 700 /home/user/.sshCreate .ssh directory with strict owner-only permissions · explain & risk-check →

mkdir -pv /var/www/html/static/cssCreate full nested path verbosely · explain & risk-check →

Pro tip

Use brace expansion `mkdir -p project/{src,tests,docs,bin}` to scaffold entire project structures in one command.

rm ls chmod touch

Open the full explainer →More in Files & Archives

Reference text is hand-written and may be incomplete — check man mkdir for your version. Test destructive commands on a non-production system first.