xcp: Extended cp with Progress Bar and Reflinks

TL;DR — Quick Summary

xcp is an extended cp command with progress bars, reflink support, and .gitignore awareness. Copy files faster with better feedback.

xcp is cp with progress bars, reflinks, and smarter defaults. Written in Rust.

Installation

# Cargo
cargo install xcp

# Arch AUR
yay -S xcp

Usage

# Copy a file (shows progress bar)
xcp large-file.tar.gz /backup/

# Copy directory recursively (no -r needed)
xcp project/ /backup/project/

# Skip .gitignore files
xcp --gitignore src/ /deploy/

# Verbose output
xcp -v data/ /mnt/external/

Comparison

Feature	xcp	cp	rsync
Progress bar	✅ Built-in	❌	✅
Reflinks	✅ Auto	❌	❌
.gitignore	✅	❌	❌
Recursive default	✅	Needs -r	Needs -r

Summary

xcp: extended cp with progress bars
Reflink/copy-on-write support for instant copies
.gitignore awareness for clean deployments
Recursive by default — no -r flag needed
Written in Rust — fast and safe

Guide & Instructions

Estimated Time: 1m

Tools Needed:

xcp
Terminal

Install xcp

Install with cargo install xcp.

Copy a file

Run xcp source.txt dest.txt to copy with a progress bar.

Copy a directory

Run xcp source-dir/ dest-dir/ for recursive copy.

Use reflinks

On btrfs/XFS, xcp uses reflinks automatically.

Gitignore filter

Use xcp --gitignore to skip ignored files.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is xcp?

xcp is a Rust-based replacement for cp that adds progress bars, reflink (copy-on-write) support, .gitignore awareness, and better error handling.

How fast is xcp compared to cp?

On filesystems supporting reflinks (btrfs, XFS, APFS), xcp can be dramatically faster because it uses copy-on-write. On traditional filesystems, performance is similar to cp.

Does xcp support recursive copy?

Yes, xcp recursively copies directories by default without needing the -r flag.

Does xcp respect .gitignore?

Yes, xcp can skip files that match .gitignore patterns with the --gitignore flag.