Linux Directory Structure

📁 Linux Directory Structure

Prerequisite: Linux File Hierarchy Structure

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📝 Introduction

In Linux and Unix OS, everything is considered a file, including directories, regular files, and devices like mouse, keyboard, and printers.
This guide provides an in-depth overview of the Linux directory structure, including file types and directory hierarchy.

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📂 Types of Files in Linux

🖋 General Files

* Ordinary files: images, videos, programs, text files * Can be **ASCII** or **Binary** format * Most commonly used files

📁 Directory Files

* Act as a warehouse for other files * Can contain subdirectories, creating a hierarchical structure

💻 Device Files

* Devices are represented as files, e.g., `/dev/sda1`, `/dev/sda2` * Unlike Windows drive letters

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📑 File Types Table

File Types	Description
General Files	Images, videos, programs, or text files
Directory Files	Organize files, may include subdirectories
Device Files	Represent hardware devices, e.g., /dev/sda1

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🗂 Linux File System Hierarchy

The root directory / is the top of the Linux file system tree.

Directory	Description
/bin	Binary/executable programs
/etc	System configuration files
/home	Default user home directories
/opt	Optional/third-party software
/tmp	Temporary space, cleared on reboot
/usr	User-related programs
/var	Log files, variable data

🔹 Additional Directories

Directory	Description
/boot	Boot-related files
/dev	Device files
/lib	Kernel modules and shared libraries
/lost+found	Recovered file fragments
/media	Mount points for removable media
/mnt	Temporary mount directories
/proc	Virtual file system for process information
/run	Volatile runtime data
/sbin	System administration binaries
/srv	Server-specific files
/sys	Virtual filesystem for device information

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🔍 Notable Files in Linux

File/Directory	Description
/boot/vmlinux	Linux kernel file
/dev/hda	Device file for first IDE HDD
/dev/hdc	Pseudo-device for garbage output
/etc/bashrc	Bash system defaults and aliases
/etc/crontab	Scheduled tasks
/etc/fstab	Disk mount points
/etc/group	Security groups
/etc/grub.conf	Grub bootloader configuration
/etc/init.d	Service startup scripts
/etc/inittab	Initialization processes and run levels
/etc/passwd	Usernames and account info
/etc/resolv.conf	DNS configuration
/usr/bin	Executable files
/usr/include	Standard header files for C programs
/usr/lib	Object files and libraries
/proc/cpuinfo	CPU information
/proc/filesystems	Active filesystem info
/proc/ioports	Input/Output addresses
/proc/meminfo	Memory usage info
/version	Linux version info
/var/log/lastlog	Last login info
/var/log/messages	Global system messages
/var/log/wtmp	Login/logout history

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✅ Conclusion

Understanding the Linux directory structure is essential for:

• Efficient system navigation
• File management
• Access to system resources

Note: Variations may exist across Linux distributions, but the core structure is consistent.

For detailed explanations and examples, refer to the Linux Directory Structure wiki page.