.TH "DOCKER" "1" " Docker User Manuals" "Docker Community" "JUNE 2014"  ""


.SH NAME
.PP
docker\-cp \- Copy files or folders from a container's PATH to a HOSTDIR
or to STDOUT.


.SH SYNOPSIS
.PP
\fBdocker cp\fP
[\fB\-\-help\fP]
CONTAINER:PATH HOSTDIR|\-


.SH DESCRIPTION
.PP
Copy files or folders from a \fB\fCCONTAINER:PATH\fR to the \fB\fCHOSTDIR\fR or to \fB\fCSTDOUT\fR.
The \fB\fCCONTAINER:PATH\fR is relative to the root of the container's filesystem. You
can copy from either a running or stopped container.

.PP
The \fB\fCPATH\fR can be a file or directory. The \fB\fCdocker cp\fR command assumes all
\fB\fCPATH\fR values start at the \fB\fC/\fR (root) directory. This means supplying the
initial forward slash is optional; The command sees
\fB\fCcompassionate\_darwin:/tmp/foo/myfile.txt\fR and
\fB\fCcompassionate\_darwin:tmp/foo/myfile.txt\fR as identical.

.PP
The \fB\fCHOSTDIR\fR refers to a directory on the host. If you do not specify an
absolute path for your \fB\fCHOSTDIR\fR value, Docker creates the directory relative to
where you run the \fB\fCdocker cp\fR command. For example, suppose you want to copy the
\fB\fC/tmp/foo\fR directory from a container to the \fB\fC/tmp\fR directory on your host. If
you run \fB\fCdocker cp\fR in your \fB\fC\~\fR (home) directory on the host:

.PP
.RS

.nf
    $ docker cp compassionate\_darwin:tmp/foo /tmp

.fi
.RE

.PP
Docker creates a \fB\fC/tmp/foo\fR directory on your host. Alternatively, you can omit
the leading slash in the command. If you execute this command from your home directory:

.PP
.RS

.nf
    $ docker cp compassionate\_darwin:tmp/foo tmp

.fi
.RE

.PP
Docker creates a \fB\fC\~/tmp/foo\fR subdirectory.

.PP
When copying files to an existing \fB\fCHOSTDIR\fR, the \fB\fCcp\fR command adds the new files to
the directory. For example, this command:

.PP
.RS

.nf
    $ docker cp sharp\_ptolemy:/tmp/foo/myfile.txt /tmp

.fi
.RE

.PP
Creates a \fB\fC/tmp/foo\fR directory on the host containing the \fB\fCmyfile.txt\fR file. If
you repeat the command but change the filename:

.PP
.RS

.nf
    $ docker cp sharp\_ptolemy:/tmp/foo/secondfile.txt /tmp

.fi
.RE

.PP
Your host's \fB\fC/tmp/foo\fR directory will contain both files:

.PP
.RS

.nf
    $ ls /tmp/foo
    myfile.txt secondfile.txt

.fi
.RE

.PP
Finally, use '\-' to write the data as a \fB\fCtar\fR file to STDOUT.


.SH OPTIONS
.PP
\fB\-\-help\fP
  Print usage statement


.SH EXAMPLES
.PP
An important shell script file, created in a bash shell, is copied from
the exited container to the current dir on the host:

.PP
.RS

.nf
# docker cp c071f3c3ee81:setup.sh .

.fi
.RE


.SH HISTORY
.PP
April 2014, Originally compiled by William Henry (whenry at redhat dot com)
based on docker.com source material and internal work.
June 2014, updated by Sven Dowideit 
\[la]SvenDowideit@home.org.au\[ra]