Directory Structure Cheat Sheet
-
/: The ‘root’ directory which contains all other files and directories -
/bin: Common commands / programs, shared by all users -
/boot: Contains the files needed to successfully start the computer during the boot process -
/dev: Holds device files that represent physical and ‘logical’ devices -
/etc: Contains configuration files that control the operation of programs -
/etc/cron.d: One of the directories that allow programs to be run on a regular schedule -
/etc/rc?.d: Directories containing files that control the mode of operation of a computer -
/home: A directory that holds subdirectories for each user to store user specific files -
/lib: Contains shared library files and kernel modules -
/lost+found: Will hold recoverable data in the event of an an improper shut-down -
/media: Used to temporarily mount removable devices -
/mnt: A mount point for filesystems or temporary mount point for system administrators -
/opt: Contains third party or additional software that is not part of the default installation -
/proc: Holds files that contain information about running processes and system resources -
/root: The home directory of the System Administrator, or the ‘root’ user -
/sbin: Contains binary executables / commands used by the system administrator -
/srv: Provides a consistent location for storing data for specific services -
/tmp: A temporary location for storing files or data -
/usr: Is the directory where user programs and data are stored and shared -
/usr/bin: Contains binary executable files for users -
/usr/lib: Holds shared library files to support executables in/usr/binand/usr/sbin -
/usr/local: Contains users programs that are installed locally from source code -
/usr/sbin: The directory for non-essential system administration binary executables -
/var: Holds variable data files which are expected to grow under normal circumstances -
/var/lib: Contains dynamic state information that programs modify while they run -
/var/log: Stores log files from a range of programs and services -
/var/spool: Contains files that are held (spooled) for later processing -
/var/tmp: A temporary store for data that needs to be held between reboots (unlike/tmp)