Linux Directory Structure

Note: Files are grouped according to purpose. Ex: commands, data files, documentation.

Parts of a Unix directory tree. See the FSSTND standard (Filesystem standard)

/                      Root

|---root               The home directory for the root user

|---home               Contains the user's home directories

|    |----ftp          Users include many services as listed here

|    |----httpd

|    |----samba

|    |----user1

|    |----user2

|---bin                Commands needed during bootup that might be needed by normal users

|---sbin               Like bin but commands are not intended for normal users.  Commands run by LINUX.

|---proc               This filesystem is not on a disk.  Exists in the kernels imagination (virtual).  This directory

|    |                 Holds information about kernel parameters and system configuration.

|    |----1            A directory with info about process number 1.  Each process

|                              has a directory below proc.  

|---usr                Contains all commands, libraries, man pages, games and static files for normal

|    |                 operation.

|    |----bin          Almost all user commands.  some commands are in /bin or /usr/local/bin.

|    |----sbin         System admin commands not needed on the root filesystem.  e.g., most server 

|    |                 programs.

|    |----include      Header files for the C programming language.  Should be below /user/lib for

|    |                 consistency.

|    |----lib          Unchanging data files for programs and subsystems

|    |----local        The place for locally installed software and other files.

|    |----man          Manual pages

|    |----info         Info documents

|    |----doc          Documentation for various packages

|    |----tmp

|    |----X11R6        The X windows system files.  There is a directory similar to usr below this 

|    |                 directory.

|    |----X386         Like X11R6 but for X11 release 5

|---boot               Files used by the bootstrap loader, LILO.  Kernel images are often kept here.

|---lib                Shared libraries needed by the programs on the root filesystem

|    |----modules      Loadable kernel modules, especially those needed to boot the system after

|                       disasters.

|---dev                Device files for devices such as disk drives, serial ports, etc.

|---etc                Configuration files specific to the machine.

|    |----skel         When a home directory is created it is initialized with files from this directory

|    |----sysconfig    Files that configure the linux system for networking, keyboard, time, and more.

|---var                Contains files that change for mail, news, printers log files, man pages, temp files

|    |----file

|    |----lib          Files that change while the system is running normally

|    |----local        Variable data for programs installed in /usr/local.

|    |----lock         Lock files.  Used by a program to indicate it is using a particular device or file

|    |----log          Log files from programs such as login and syslog which logs all logins,

|    |                 logouts, and other system messages.

|    |----run          Files that contain information about the system that is valid until the system is

|    |                 next booted

|    |----spool        Directories for mail, printer spools, news and other spooled work.

|    |----tmp          Temporary files that are large or need to exist for longer than they should in

|    |                 /tmp.

|    |----catman       A cache for man pages that are formatted on demand

|---mnt                Mount points for temporary mounts by the system administrator.

|---tmp                Temporary files.  Programs running after bootup should use /var/tmp.