---
name: "zfs-create"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "zfsutils-linux"
version: "2.3.9-0+deb13u1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/zfs-create"
---

# zfs-create(8)

create ZFS dataset

## NAME

**zfs-create** – create ZFS dataset

## SYNOPSIS

**zfs** **create** \[**-Pnpuv**\] \[**-o** *property*=*value*\]… *filesystem*

**zfs** **create** \[**-ps**\] \[**-b** *blocksize*\] \[**-o** *property*=*value*\]… **-V** *size* *volume*

## DESCRIPTION

-

  **zfs** **create** \[**-Pnpuv**\] \[**-o** *property*=*value*\]… *filesystem* Creates a new ZFS file system. The file system is automatically mounted according to the **mountpoint** property inherited from the parent, unless the **-u** option is used.

  - **-o** *property*=*value*

    Sets the specified property as if the command **zfs** **set** *property*=*value* was invoked at the same time the dataset was created. Any editable ZFS property can also be set at creation time. Multiple **-o** options can be specified. An error results if the same property is specified in multiple **-o** options.

  - **-p**

    Creates all the non-existing parent datasets. Datasets created in this manner are automatically mounted according to the **mountpoint** property inherited from their parent. Any property specified on the command line using the **-o** option is ignored. If the target filesystem already exists, the operation completes successfully.

  - **-n**

    Do a dry-run ("No-op") creation. No datasets will be created. This is useful in conjunction with the **-v** or **-P** flags to validate properties that are passed via **-o** options and those implied by other options. The actual dataset creation can still fail due to insufficient privileges or available capacity.

  - **-P**

    Print machine-parsable verbose information about the created dataset. Each line of output contains a key and one or two values, all separated by tabs. The **create\_ancestors** and **create** keys have *filesystem* as their only value. The **create\_ancestors** key only appears if the **-p** option is used. The **property** key has two values, a property name that property's value. The **property** key may appear zero or more times, once for each property that will be set local to *filesystem* due to the use of the **-o** option.

  - **-u**

    Do not mount the newly created file system.

  - **-v**

    Print verbose information about the created dataset.

-

  **zfs** **create** \[**-ps**\] \[**-b** *blocksize*\] \[**-o** *property*=*value*\]… **-V** *size* *volume* Creates a volume of the given size. The volume is exported as a block device in */dev/zvol/path*, where *path* is the name of the volume in the ZFS namespace. The size represents the logical size as exported by the device. By default, a reservation of equal size is created.

  *size* is automatically rounded up to the nearest multiple of the **blocksize**.

  - **-b** *blocksize*

    Equivalent to **-o** **volblocksize**=*blocksize*. If this option is specified in conjunction with **-o** **volblocksize**, the resulting behavior is undefined.

  - **-o** *property*=*value*

    Sets the specified property as if the **zfs** **set** *property*=*value* command was invoked at the same time the dataset was created. Any editable ZFS property can also be set at creation time. Multiple **-o** options can be specified. An error results if the same property is specified in multiple **-o** options.

  - **-p**

    Creates all the non-existing parent datasets. Datasets created in this manner are automatically mounted according to the **mountpoint** property inherited from their parent. Any property specified on the command line using the **-o** option is ignored. If the target filesystem already exists, the operation completes successfully.

  - **-s**

    Creates a sparse volume with no reservation. See **volsize** in the *Native* *Properties* section of [zfsprops(7)](/zfsprops/7.md) for more information about sparse volumes.

  - **-n**

    Do a dry-run ("No-op") creation. No datasets will be created. This is useful in conjunction with the **-v** or **-P** flags to validate properties that are passed via **-o** options and those implied by other options. The actual dataset creation can still fail due to insufficient privileges or available capacity.

  - **-P**

    Print machine-parsable verbose information about the created dataset. Each line of output contains a key and one or two values, all separated by tabs. The **create\_ancestors** and **create** keys have *volume* as their only value. The **create\_ancestors** key only appears if the **-p** option is used. The **property** key has two values, a property name that property's value. The **property** key may appear zero or more times, once for each property that will be set local to *volume* due to the use of the **-b** or **-o** options, as well as **refreservation** if the volume is not sparse.

  - **-v**

    Print verbose information about the created dataset.

### ZFS for Swap

Swapping to a ZFS volume is prone to deadlock and not recommended. See OpenZFS FAQ.

Swapping to a file on a ZFS filesystem is not supported.

## EXAMPLES

### Example 1 : No Creating a ZFS File System Hierarchy

The following commands create a file system named *pool/home* and a file system named *pool/home/bob*. The mount point */export/home* is set for the parent file system, and is automatically inherited by the child file system.

```
# zfs create pool/home
```

```
# zfs set mountpoint=/export/home pool/home
```

```
# zfs create pool/home/bob
```

### Example 2 : No Promoting a ZFS Clone

The following commands illustrate how to test out changes to a file system, and then replace the original file system with the changed one, using clones, clone promotion, and renaming:

```
# zfs create pool/project/production
  populate /pool/project/production with data
# zfs snapshot pool/project/production@today
# zfs clone pool/project/production@today pool/project/beta
  make changes to /pool/project/beta and test them
# zfs promote pool/project/beta
# zfs rename pool/project/production pool/project/legacy
# zfs rename pool/project/beta pool/project/production
  once the legacy version is no longer needed, it can be destroyed
# zfs destroy pool/project/legacy
```

## SEE ALSO

[zfs-destroy(8)](/zfs-destroy/8.md), [zfs-list(8)](/zfs-list/8.md), [zpool-create(8)](/zpool-create/8.md)