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The Filesystem

Previous: Users & Root | Next: File Manipulation

The filesystem defines how data is organised, stored, and retrieved on a storage device. It is the logical structure that manages files and directories within a partition.

Everything Is a File

Linux treats almost everything as a file:

  • Regular documents and executables are files.
  • Devices (USB drives, disks, network adapters) appear as files under /dev.
  • Directories are a special type of file containing references to other files.
  • If something isn't a file, it's a process.

This unified approach lets Linux manage hardware and software resources consistently through file operations.

Tree Structure

The filesystem starts at the root directory /. All other directories branch out from it:

/
├── bin
├── etc
├── home
│   └── user
├── var
└── usr

~ is a shortcut for the current user's home directory (/home/<username>).

"Folder" vs "Directory"

  • Directory — the traditional UNIX/Linux term, used in the terminal.
  • Folder — a GUI term referring to the same concept.

They are interchangeable in meaning.

Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS)

Directory Purpose
/ Root — top of the hierarchy
/bin Essential user executables available to all users
/sbin System/admin binaries (superuser)
/boot Bootloader files and the Linux kernel
/home Home directories for regular users
/root Home directory for root
/dev Device files (hardware and peripherals)
/etc System-wide configuration files
/lib Shared libraries for essential binaries
/lib64 64-bit libraries (architecture-specific)
/media Mount points for removable media (USB, external drives)
/mnt Temporary mount point for filesystems
/tmp Temporary files — often cleared on reboot
/proc Virtual filesystem exposing process and kernel info
/sys Virtual filesystem for kernel objects and hardware
/srv Data served by system services (web, FTP, etc.)
/run Runtime process data stored in RAM
/usr User applications, binaries, libraries, documentation
/var Variable data — logs, caches, spool files

Quick probe: cat /proc/cpuinfo shows detailed CPU information directly from the kernel.

What to Read Next

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