install

copies files while setting permissions and ownership

TLDR

Copy file with specific permissions

$ install -m [755] [source] [dest]

Copy files into a target directory

$ install -t [/usr/local/bin/] [file1] [file2]

Create directories (including parents)

$ install -d [/path/to/dir]

Set owner and group

$ install -o [user] -g [group] [file] [dest]

Copy preserving timestamps

$ install -p [file] [dest]

Strip binaries during install

$ install -s [binary] [/usr/local/bin/]

Copy only if source is different (avoids unnecessary writes)

$ install -C [file] [dest]

Create parent directories then copy

$ install -D [source] [/path/to/new/dir/dest]

SYNOPSIS

install [options] [-s] [--strip-program=PROGRAM] source... destinstall [options] -t DIRECTORY source...install [options] -d directories...

install copies files while setting permissions and ownership. It is primarily used in Makefiles and installation scripts to place files with correct attributes.The tool combines cp, chmod, chown, and mkdir functionality, streamlining installation tasks. It can also strip binaries and back up existing files. The default permission mode is rwxr-xr-x (755).

PARAMETERS

-m mode, --mode=mode

Set permission mode (as in chmod), instead of the default rwxr-xr-x.

-o owner, --owner=owner

Set ownership (super-user only).

-g group, --group=group

Set group ownership instead of the process's current group.

-d, --directory

Treat all arguments as directory names; create all components of the specified directories.

-D

Create all leading parent directory components of dest, then copy source to dest.

-t DIRECTORY, --target-directory=DIRECTORY

Copy all source arguments into DIRECTORY.

-T, --no-target-directory

Treat dest as a normal file, not a directory.

-C, --compare

Compare source and destination; do not modify dest if content, ownership, and permissions are unchanged.

-s, --strip

Strip symbol tables from installed binaries.

--strip-program=PROGRAM

Program used to strip binaries (default: strip).

-p, --preserve-timestamps

Apply access/modification times of source files to destination files.

-b

Make a backup of each existing destination file.

--backup[=CONTROL]

Make a backup of each existing destination file, with optional version control method.

-S suffix, --suffix=suffix

Override the usual backup suffix.

-v, --verbose

Print the name of each file or directory as it is created.

-c

Ignored; for compatibility with older Unix versions.

-Z, --context

Set SELinux security context of destination files to the default type.

CAVEATS

Not intended for general file copying. The default permission mode is 755 (rwxr-xr-x), unlike cp which preserves source permissions. Requires appropriate privileges for ownership changes.

HISTORY

install is a traditional Unix utility, part of GNU coreutils on Linux. It has been used in Makefiles since early Unix for standardized software installation procedures.