Linux 101: Demystifying the Linux directory structure

Some new users have trouble understanding the Linux directory structure, so I thought I’d take a moment to demystify those strange folder names. It’s not nearly as complicated as you might think. Once you understand what’s what, it all starts to make sense. 

SEE: C++ programming language: How it became the foundation for everything, and what’s next (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

That said, let’s take a look at these strange directories. 

• First is the root directory, which is often noted by a forward slash (/). This houses everything on your Linux system, so it’s pretty important. 
• Next up is /bin, which contains all essential executable binaries that are required for a system to function in single-user mode. These executables aren’t user applications, but essential commands that are used by the system (but can also be used by users), such as less and ip. 
• Next is /boot, which contains all the files required for the system to boot. You’ll then find /dev, which contains several special device files, such as /dev/sda, which represent hardware and virtual devices. 
• The /etc drive is where all of the system-wide configuration files for applications and services are. 
• The home directory, which is /home, houses all directories for users. 
• Library files (which are used by essential binaries) are found in /lib. 
• There’s also the /lost+found directory, which stores recovered files that are used in case of a system crash. 
• The /media directory contains all subdirectories for removable devices (such as external drives). 
• The /opt directory is for optional packages and serves as a common location for proprietary software that doesn’t tend to follow the standard file system hierarchy. 
• System and process information files are stored in /proc. 
• The Root user home directory is isolated from home and is found in /root. 
• Applications can store transient files for sockets and process IDs in the /run directory. 
• The /sbin directory houses more executable binary files, but these are those that are used primarily for system administration. 
• The Service Data folder (/srv) is a location that houses data for services that are provided by the system (such as for the Apache webserver). 
• All temporary files are stored in /tmp and are deleted when the system is restarted. 
• User binaries (applications used only by the user and not by the system) are stored in /usr. 
• And finally, the /var directory houses all variable data files, such as log files (in /var/log) as well as the Apache document root (in /var/www/html/). 

And that’s the Linux directory structure demystified. Once you understand how this structure is laid out, Linux becomes considerably easier.

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