btrfs-property

List available properties (and descriptions) for the given btrfs object

$ sudo btrfs [[p|property]] [[l|list]] [path/to/btrfs_object]

$ sudo btrfs [[p|property]] [[g|get]] [path/to/btrfs_object]

$ sudo btrfs [[p|property]] [[g|get]] [path/to/btrfs_filesystem] label

$ sudo btrfs [[p|property]] [[g|get]] -t [subvol|filesystem|inode|device] [path/to/btrfs_filesystem]

$ sudo btrfs [[p|property]] [[s|set]] [path/to/btrfs_inode] compression [zstd|zlib|lzo|none]

btrfs property [-p] [-ts] <path> [<name> [<value>]]

-p, --path-only
    Print only paths of objects (useful in scripts or lists)

-t
    Display property types (e.g., inode, volume)

-s
    Display available property settings

btrfs property is a subcommand of the btrfs(8) utility for querying and modifying properties on BTRFS filesystem objects, including files, directories, and subvolumes. Properties provide BTRFS-specific controls beyond standard attributes, such as enabling compression, marking subvolumes read-only, disabling copy-on-write (nodatacow), or setting quota overrides.

Operation modes depend on arguments:
• No name: Lists all properties for the path.
• name only: Retrieves the property's value.
• name and value: Sets the property.

This enables precise tuning, e.g., btrfs property set /mnt/mysubvol ro true makes a subvolume read-only, protecting it from writes. File-level properties like compression=zstd apply to new files in a directory. Properties are inherited or set per-object, with some requiring root privileges or specific object types (subvolume vs. inode).

Output can be customized with options for scripting. Full details on properties in btrfs-property(5). Useful for administration, performance optimization, and data protection in BTRFS environments.

Root privileges often required for setting properties. Not all properties supported on every object type or kernel version. Subvolume properties like ro affect snapshots differently.

ro: Read-only for subvolumes (true/false)
compression: Algorithm (none, zstd, lzo, zlib)
nodatacow: Disable COW for files (true)
datacow: Re-enable COW (true)
quota_override: Quota override (number)
See btrfs-property(5) for complete list.

Added in btrfs-progs 0.20-dev (January 2012), with kernel support from 3.7+. Expanded in later versions for more properties like compression inheritance (kernel 4.6+).

btrfs(8), chattr(1), lsattr(1), btrfs-property(5)