As we all know, file copying on Linux has long relied on the classic cp command, which remains reliable but offers little feedback and limited control over long or complex operations.
To address this, a promising new Rust-based command-line tool called cpx emerge, designed as an alternative rather than a replacement, that approaches the same task with a focus on performance, visibility, and configurability.
It targets scenarios where large directory trees, interrupted transfers, or the need for detailed progress reporting make standard tools less convenient to use. The project is currently Linux-only and leverages modern kernel features to improve copy throughput and reliability.
What’s wrong with rsync?
I’ve had cp aliased to rsync with my flags for years. It seems like a lot of newcomers try to “fix” stuff before they really understand what’s available. Or they just like to play around with different programming languages. Which is fine, but usually it’s not really interesting to me.
It’s a damn pain to remember all the flags. How many flags can a program friggin have? I’m always afraid that some flag I enter will reverse the sync and delete everything in the source folder because the target is empty.
I use rsync only when all params have been reseasrched and tested. cpx presumably just requires
cpx - r source targetinstead of 5 rsync flags.The only one you need is -a. -avz if you want verbose and compression.
I just looked it up and - x means one filesystem. But does - v give you a progress bar or just a lost of stuff copied?
IIRC rsync also treats the trailing slash in a special manner that I always have to look up.
Ha. I meant z. I guess I was getting mixed up with tar.
No slash means the directory. Slash means the items in the directory.
The trailing slash is just following cp’s own special treatment
# before dir/ file1 target/ orig.txt # no trailing slash - copy *dir* to target cp -r /path/to/some/dir /my/target # after target/ orig.txt dir/ # dir copied to target file1 # with trailing slash - copy *contents* of dir to target cp -r /path/to/some/dir/ /my/target # after target/ orig.txt file1 # contents of dir–progress=info2 could be a bit shorter imo
What 5 flags did rsync need? I always just do -av and go about my day. And the -v is kinda optional.
How do you get the progress bar?
--progress🤷♂️That’s probably the next wheel some overzealous Rust dev will reinvent.
Too many letters to type obvi! /s