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--- filesystem:file_systems [2019/11/24 18:45] – created peter
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-====== Filesystem - File Systems ======
-The Linux filesystem is responsible for storing your system data and managing them. A filesystem can be defined as the mechanism behind data storing and retrieval.
-The entire Linux installation resolves around the **/** point.  It is called the root of the file system and is essentially the starting point of your system. It contains several directories, most bearing some historical significance.
-{{:ubuntu:linux_file_system.jpg?800|}}
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-===== /bin =====
-It contains the binaries, or executables of the various programs installed in your machine.
-In many systems, this doesn’t exist as a real directory but serves as a symlink to the **/usr/bin** directory.
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-===== /boot =====
-All essential files required for the system startup are located here.
-You should not experiment with the contents of this directory unless you know what you’re doing. Else, you might corrupt the system itself and disrupt functionality.
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-===== /dev =====
-The **/dev** directory contains the device files of your system.
-These are the file representations of your USB drives, hard-disk drives, Webcam, and so on.
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-===== /etc =====
-Historically, the **/etc** directory was used for keeping various miscellaneous files. Today, however, it is a standard convention to store the system-wide configuration files in this directory.
-Information like your username/password, network credentials, mount-point of partitions is stored here.
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-===== /home =====
-This is the personal directory of the each user.
-It can house multiple sub-directories based on the number of users in your machine.
-Say you’re user “peter”, then you’ll be allocated the directory /home/peter.  When logged in, you’ll be presented with the /home/peter directory inside your terminal.
-It is also denoted as :~$ in the Bash shell.
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-===== /lib =====
-System libraries are located here.
-These are the snippets of code used by your applications to perform some task.
-Their example includes code snippets that draw windows or send files.
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-===== /media =====
-This directory is the mount-point of plug and play devices such as external storage.
-It is a relatively newer addition to the Linux file system.
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-===== /mnt =====
-The old and grumpy Unix admins used this directory to mount on-demand devices or partitions manually.
-Although used infrequently, it remains in the Linux filesystem due to its historical importance.
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-===== /opt =====
-Stands for optional and meant to hold optional system files.
-Admins often use it to host third-party applications that they installed from source.
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-===== /proc =====
-It hosts the process files, kernel modules, and similar dynamic data.
-You should not interfere with this else you may render your system obsolete.
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-===== /root =====
-Like **/home** but for the superuser of the system.
-It is the directory you’ll be presented with when you switch to the root account.
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-===== /run =====
-This is used for holding temporary data used by Linux system processes.
-<WRAP alert>
-Don’t mess here unless you know what you’re up for.
-</WRAP>
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-===== /sbin =====
-Like **/bin** but holds only system essential binaries.
-Various everyday used utilities like ls, cd, cp, etc are located here.
-<WRAP alert>
-Do not manipulate them.
-</WRAP>
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-===== /usr =====
-A ‘use it for all kind’ location where various information is stored.
-They can include binaries, libraries, icons, manuals, and so on.
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-===== /srv =====
-The server directory.
-It contains the source files of web apps and houses other communication protocols.
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-===== /sys =====
-Another virtual directory, such as **/dev**.
-It contains sensitive information and shouldn’t be experimented unless the user knows what he’s up to.
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-===== /tmp =====
-It is used for holding temporary values that will be deleted during system reboot.
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-===== /var =====
-The original purpose of this directory was to host all variable files.
-Nowadays, it contains several sub-directories for storing things like logs, caches, and such.
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-<WRAP info>
-There might be some additional directories in your root. It is usually subject to the specific Linux distribution and can vary across systems.
-</WRAP>
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