$ Linux Command

Disk

cdrecord

Record data or audio tracks to optical media.

cddvdburnopticalstorage

Additional Notes

cdrecord writes data to CD, DVD, or compatible optical media, depending on hardware and build support. It is often used with ISO images produced by tools such as mkisofs or genisoimage.

Optical burning is less common now, but the command still appears in recovery, archival, and older system workflows.

Syntax

cdrecord [options] image.iso
cdrecord [options] track...

Parameters

  • image.iso: ISO image to write.
  • track: Audio or data track file.
  • options: Device, speed, blanking, simulation, and verbosity controls.

Common Options

  • dev=DEVICE: Select burner device.
  • speed=N: Set write speed.
  • -v: Verbose output.
  • -eject: Eject media after writing.
  • -dao: Disk-at-once mode.
  • blank=fast: Quickly blank rewritable media.
  • -scanbus: Scan for devices on older setups.

Examples

cdrecord -v dev=/dev/sr0 image.iso

Write an ISO image to an optical disc.

cdrecord -v speed=4 dev=/dev/sr0 image.iso

Write at a specific speed.

cdrecord dev=/dev/sr0 blank=fast

Blank rewritable media.

Practical Notes

  • Device naming and permissions vary by distribution.
  • Use slower speeds when reliability matters more than speed.
  • Verify important discs after writing.