Skip to content
Laviyx Learn

Try

Linux and Bash course menu

The Linux File System Explained: /etc, /var, /home and Paths

Understand the Linux directory structure: the root folder, /home, /etc, /var, /usr, /tmp and more, absolute and relative paths, hidden files, and why everything is a file.

Beginner7 min readUpdated
On this page

Windows has drives such as C:\. Linux has one tree, starting at a single folder called the root, written /. Everything sits somewhere below it, even other disks and USB sticks.

Terminal
ls /
Output
bin
bin.usr-is-merged
boot
dev
etc
home
imagegeneration
lib
lib.usr-is-merged
lib32
lib64
lost+found
media
mnt
opt
proc
root
run
sbin
sbin.usr-is-merged
snap
srv
swapfile
sys
tmp
usr
var

The important folders#

FolderContains
/homeEach user's personal folder, such as /home/asha
/rootThe home folder of the administrator
/etcSystem-wide configuration files
/varFiles that change: logs, caches, databases
/var/logLog files
/tmpTemporary files, usually removed on reboot
/usrInstalled programs and libraries
/usr/binMost commands
/bin, /sbinEssential commands; on Ubuntu these link to /usr
/optOptional software installed by hand
/devDevices, such as disks
/procLive information about the system
/mnt, /mediaPlaces to attach disks

You do not need to memorise them, but /home, /etc, /var/log and /tmp come up constantly.

Everything is a file#

Linux represents most things as files, even information about the system. You can read these with normal commands:

Terminal
cat /etc/hostname
head -n 2 /etc/os-release
grep -c processor /proc/cpuinfo
ls -l /bin
Output
laviyx
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS"
NAME="Ubuntu"
2
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 7 Apr 22  2024 /bin -> usr/bin

The l at the start of the last line means a symbolic link, a shortcut to another location.

Absolute and relative paths#

A path says where a file is.

  • An absolute path starts at /, and it means the same thing wherever you are.
  • A relative path starts from your current folder.
Terminal
pwd
cat /home/asha/work/reports/june.txt
cat work/reports/june.txt
cd work/images
cat ../reports/june.txt
cd ~
Output
/home/asha
Sales
Sales
Sales

All three commands read the same file.

SymbolMeaning
/Root, when at the start; otherwise a separator
~Your home folder
.The current folder
..The parent folder

Scripts should usually use absolute paths, because a relative path depends on where the script was started.

See the structure#

tree draws folders. It may need installing first (sudo apt install tree):

Terminal
tree work
Output
work
├── images
└── reports
    └── june.txt

3 directories, 1 file

A symbolic link points to another path:

Terminal
ln -s work/reports/june.txt latest.txt
ls -l latest.txt
cat latest.txt
Output
lrwxrwxrwx 1 asha asha 21 Nov  5 06:28 latest.txt -> work/reports/june.txt
Sales

If the original is deleted, the link is left "dangling", and it no longer works.

Hidden files#

Names that start with a dot are hidden from a plain ls. They are often settings, such as .bashrc, the file that configures your shell:

Terminal
ls -A | grep '^\.'
Output
.bash_logout
.bashrc
.profile

Common mistakes#

Practice#

Practice exercise

Print the first line of /etc/passwd, then count how many files and folders are directly inside /etc that end in .conf.

Show hint

head -n 1 prints the first line. ls /etc/*.conf | wc -l counts names.

Show solution
Terminal
head -n 1 /etc/passwd
ls -d /etc/*.conf | wc -l
Output
root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
34

Key takeaway#

Next: Creating, Copying and Deleting Files.

Finished this lesson?

Related lessons

Linux and BashBasic Linux Commands: pwd, ls, cd and Getting HelpLearn your first Linux commands: pwd, ls, cd, how commands, options and arguments work, listing hidden files, and getting help with man and --help.Beginner6 min readLinux and BashLinux File Commands: mkdir, touch, cp, mv and rmCreate folders and files with mkdir and touch, copy and move with cp and mv, delete safely with rm, use wildcards, and edit text files with nano.Beginner7 min readLinux and BashLinux Disk Space: df, du and Finding Large FilesCheck free disk space with df, find what is using it with du, track down large files, list disks with lsblk, understand mounting, and free space safely.Intermediate4 min read