This article details the Linux File System and itβs directory structure.
Linux File System β Root
- / -This is the root directory which should contain only the directories needed at the top level of the file structure
- /bin β This is where the executable files are located. These files are available to all users, but do not add programs manually here
- /dev β These are devices in your system β Not Mounted!
- /etc β Superuser directory commands, configuration files, disk configuration files, valid user lists, groups, ethernet, hosts, etc.
- /lib β Contains shared library files and sometimes other kernel-related files
- /boot β Contains files for booting the system /boot/efi for EFI systems
- /home β Contains the home directory for users and other accounts
- /media β Typically used to mount permanent file systems
- /mnt β Used to mount other temporary file systems, such as cdrom and floppy for the CD-ROM drive and floppy diskette drive, respectively
- /proc β Contains all processes marked as a file by process number or other information that is dynamic to the system
- /tmp β Holds temporary files used between system boots
- /usr β (Unix System Resource) Used for miscellaneous purposes, and can be used by many users. Includes administrative commands, shared files, library files, and others
- /var β Typically contains variable-length files such as log and print files and any other type of file that may contain a variable amount of data
- /sbin β Contains binary (executable) files, usually for system administration. For example, fdisk and ifconfig utlities
- /kernel β Contains kernel files
Home Directory Structure
/home/user is the home directory for your user and it is often abbreviated with a ~. Folders starting with a period are hidden and can be looked at via options in file browser or ls -al
in terminal.
- ~/.cache β Cache files for that user
- ~/.config β User Configuration files for your programs.
- ~/.local/share β User Configuration files for your system. Edit Application in start menu, modify system configurations for your user, etc.
- ~/.ssh β SSH configuration and keys
- ~/.vnc β VNC remote desktop configuration files
- ~/.steam β default steam location for games and config files
- ~/.bashrc (FILE) β This file controls shortcuts and aliases that you use in Terminal
This details the Linux File System and should give you a better understanding of how to navigate around in not only a Linux system, but any UNIX based OS for that matter.
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