Linux File System Explained

Linux File System - Essential Directories

As a DevOps engineer, mastering Linux navigation is crucial. Here’s a quick guide to the key root directories and their purposes:

/bin: Essential binaries for system boot and basic functions. Programs like bash and login reside here.

/boot: Core assets needed to boot the system (e.g., bootloader, Linux Kernel Image).

/proc: Virtual filesystem for running processes. Contains process-specific directories. Explore but don’t change anything.

/var: Files of variable size/content.
Logs: /var/log
Web server assets: /var/www/html

/mnt: Manually mounted devices.

/media: Automatically mounted devices (e.g., USB drives).

/dev: Files for all devices.
e.g. /dev/sda1 for new EBS volumes.
e.g. /dev/null for discarding output.

/etc: System-wide configurations and boot scripts. Text-only and human-readable.

/tmp: Temporary files, cleaned out on reboot. Do not store important data here.

/lib: Libraries for programs in /bin.
Variation: /usr/lib for user-space programs.

/root: Home directory for the root user. Normal users may not have access.

/usr: Programs for Linux users.
Tip: Explore /usr/bin for user-space programs.

/home: Home directories for regular users.
e.g. /home/shadan for user "shadan".
Access to other users directories depends on permissions.