# mkdir

## PROLOG



           This manual page is part of the POSIX Programmer's Manual.  The
           Linux implementation of this interface may differ (consult the
           corresponding Linux manual page for details of Linux behavior), or
           the interface may not be implemented on Linux.
    


## NAME



           mkdir — make directories
    


## SYNOPSIS



           mkdir **[** -p**] [** -m _mode_**]**_dir_...
    


## DESCRIPTION



           The _mkdir_ utility shall create the directories specified by the
           operands, in the order specified.
    
           For each _dir_ operand, the _mkdir_ utility shall perform actions
           equivalent to the _mkdir_() function defined in the System
           Interfaces volume of POSIX.1‐2017, called with the following
           arguments:
    
            1. The _dir_ operand is used as the _path_ argument.
    
            2. The value of the bitwise-inclusive OR of S_IRWXU, S_IRWXG, and
               S_IRWXO is used as the _mode_ argument. (If the **-m** option is
               specified, the value of the _mkdir_() _mode_ argument is
               unspecified, but the directory shall at no time have
               permissions less restrictive than the **-m** _mode_ option-
               argument.)
    


## OPTIONS



           The _mkdir_ utility shall conform to the Base Definitions volume of
           POSIX.1‐2017, _Section 12.2_ , _Utility Syntax Guidelines_.
    
           The following options shall be supported:
    
           **-m** _mode_   Set the file permission bits of the newly-created
                     directory to the specified _mode_ value. The _mode_ option-
                     argument shall be the same as the _mode_ operand defined
                     for the _chmod_ utility. In the _symbolic_mode_ strings, the
                     _op_ characters **'+'** and **'-'** shall be interpreted relative
                     to an assumed initial mode of _a_ =_rwx_ ; **'+'** shall add
                     permissions to the default mode, **'-'** shall delete
                     permissions from the default mode.
    
           **-p** Create any missing intermediate pathname components.
    
                     For each _dir_ operand that does not name an existing
                     directory, before performing the actions described in
                     the DESCRIPTION above, the _mkdir_ utility shall create
                     any pathname components of the path prefix of _dir_ that
                     do not name an existing directory by performing actions
                     equivalent to first calling the _mkdir_() function with
                     the following arguments:
    
                      1. A pathname naming the missing pathname component,
                         ending with a trailing <slash> character, as the
                         _path_ argument
    
                      2. The value zero as the _mode_ argument
    
                     and then calling the _chmod_() function with the following
                     arguments:
    
                      1. The same _path_ argument as in the _mkdir_() call
    
                      2. The value _(S_IWUSR|S_IXUSR|~filemask) &0777_ as the
                         _mode_ argument, where _filemask_ is the file mode
                         creation mask of the process (see the System
                         Interfaces volume of POSIX.1‐2017, umask(3p))
    
                     Each _dir_ operand that names an existing directory shall
                     be ignored without error.
    


## OPERANDS



           The following operand shall be supported:
    
           _dir_       A pathname of a directory to be created.
    


## STDIN



           Not used.
    


## INPUT FILES



           None.
    


## ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES



           The following environment variables shall affect the execution of
           _mkdir_ :
    
           _LANG_      Provide a default value for the internationalization
                     variables that are unset or null. (See the Base
                     Definitions volume of POSIX.1‐2017, _Section 8.2_ ,
                     _Internationalization Variables_ for the precedence of
                     internationalization variables used to determine the
                     values of locale categories.)
    
           _LC_ALL_    If set to a non-empty string value, override the values
                     of all the other internationalization variables.
    
           _LC_CTYPE_  Determine the locale for the interpretation of sequences
                     of bytes of text data as characters (for example,
                     single-byte as opposed to multi-byte characters in
                     arguments).
    
           _LC_MESSAGES_
                     Determine the locale that should be used to affect the
                     format and contents of diagnostic messages written to
                     standard error.
    
           _NLSPATH_   Determine the location of message catalogs for the
                     processing of _LC_MESSAGES_.
    


## ASYNCHRONOUS EVENTS



           Default.
    


## STDOUT



           Not used.
    


## STDERR



           The standard error shall be used only for diagnostic messages.
    


## OUTPUT FILES



           None.
    


## EXTENDED DESCRIPTION



           None.
    


## EXIT STATUS



           The following exit values shall be returned:
    
            0    All the specified directories were created successfully, or
                 the **-p** option was specified and all the specified
                 directories either already existed or were created
                 successfully.
    
           >0    An error occurred.
    


## CONSEQUENCES OF ERRORS



           Default.
    
           _The following sections are informative._
    


## APPLICATION USAGE



           The default file mode for directories is _a_ =_rwx_ (777 on most
           systems) with selected permissions removed in accordance with the
           file mode creation mask. For intermediate pathname components
           created by _mkdir_ , the mode is the default modified by _u_ +_wx_ so that
           the subdirectories can always be created regardless of the file
           mode creation mask; if different ultimate permissions are desired
           for the intermediate directories, they can be changed afterwards
           with _chmod_.
    
           Note that some of the requested directories may have been created
           even if an error occurs.
    


## EXAMPLES



           None.
    


## RATIONALE



           The System V **-m** option was included to control the file mode.
    
           The System V **-p** option was included to create any needed
           intermediate directories and to complement the functionality
           provided by _rmdir_ for removing directories in the path prefix as
           they become empty.  Because no error is produced if any path
           component already exists, the **-p** option is also useful to ensure
           that a particular directory exists.
    
           The functionality of _mkdir_ is described substantially through a
           reference to the _mkdir_() function in the System Interfaces volume
           of POSIX.1‐2017. For example, by default, the mode of the
           directory is affected by the file mode creation mask in accordance
           with the specified behavior of the _mkdir_() function. In this way,
           there is less duplication of effort required for describing
           details of the directory creation.
    


## FUTURE DIRECTIONS



           None.
    


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