bind-mount · shipping · also Linux bind mount

Bind mount

A Linux bind mount exposes an existing file or directory subtree at another location in the mount hierarchy.

Related Observatory article: Bind mount on hesela.com

A bind mount provides another route to existing filesystem objects, not a copy or point-in-time image. Changes through a writable route can remain visible through a read-only route to the same data. [1]

Ordinary MS_BIND does not reproduce submounts beneath the source directory. Adding MS_REC also reproduces eligible submounts; unbindable mounts and their subtrees are pruned. Recursive binding therefore does not promise a complete copy of every visible nested mount. [2] [3]

On the classic mount(2) interface, MS_BIND alone inherits the source mount options. A bind remount can change per-mount flags without changing the underlying superblock, allowing a read-only bind path beside a writable path. This access restriction is not device-wide write protection. [2] [1]

Relations

related

Mount namespace, Read-only mount, Mount propagation

Citations

1. util-linux v2.41.1: mount(8), bind operation and read-only setting notes (accessed 2026-11-04)
2. Linux man-pages: mount(2), bind, recursive bind and per-mount remount flags (accessed 2026-11-04)
3. Linux kernel documentation: Shared Subtrees, propagation and namespace copies (accessed 2026-11-04)

JSON: /data/terms/bind-mount.json