Linux Directory Structure (File System Structure) Explained with Examples Have you wondered why certain programs are located under /bin, or /sbin, or /usr/bin, or /usr/sbin? For example, less command is located under /usr/bin directory. Why not /bin, or /sbin, or /usr/sbin? What is the different between all these directories? In this article, let us review the Linux filesystem structures and understand the meaning of individual high-level directories.  1. / – Root     Every single file and directory starts from the root directory.     Only root user has write privilege under this directory.     Please note that /root is root user’s home directory, which is not same as /. 2. /bin – User Binaries     Contains binary executables.     Common linux commands you need to use in single-user modes are located under this directory.     Commands used by all the users of the system are located here.     For example: ps, ls, ping, grep, cp. 3. /sbin – System Binaries     Just like /bin, /sbin also contains binary executables.     But, the linux commands located under this directory are used typically by system aministrator, for system maintenance purpose.     For example: iptables, reboot, fdisk, ifconfig, swapon 4. /etc – Configuration Files     Contains configuration files required by all programs.     This also contains startup and shutdown shell scripts used to start/stop individual programs.     For example: /etc/resolv.conf, /etc/logrotate.conf 5. /dev – Device Files     Contains device files.     These include terminal devices, usb, or any device attached to the system.     For example: /dev/tty1, /dev/usbmon0 6. /proc – Process Information     Contains information about system process.     This is a pseudo filesystem contains information about running process. For example: /proc/{pid} directory contains information about the process with that particular pid.     This is a virtual filesystem with text information about system resources. For example: /proc/uptime 7. /var – Variable Files     var stands for variable files.     Content of the files that are expected to grow can be found under this directory.     This includes — system log files (/var/log); packages and database files (/var/lib); emails (/var/mail); print queues (/var/spool); lock files (/var/lock); temp files needed across reboots (/var/tmp); 8. /tmp – Temporary Files     Directory that contains temporary files created by system and users.     Files under this directory are deleted when system is rebooted. 9. /usr – User Programs     Contains binaries, libraries, documentation, and source-code for second level programs.     /usr/bin contains binary files for user programs. If you can’t find a user binary under /bin, look under /usr/bin. For example: at, awk, cc, less, scp     /usr/sbin contains binary files for system administrators. If you can’t find a system binary under /sbin, look under /usr/sbin. For example: atd, cron, sshd, useradd, userdel     /usr/lib contains libraries for /usr/bin and /usr/sbin     /usr/local contains users programs that you install from source. For example, when you install apache from source, it goes under /usr/local/apache2 10. /home – Home Directories     Home directories for all users to store their personal files.     For example: /home/john, /home/nikita 11. /boot – Boot Loader Files     Contains boot loader related files.     Kernel initrd, vmlinux, grub files are located under /boot     For example: initrd.img-2.6.32-24-generic, vmlinuz-2.6.32-24-generic 12. /lib – System Libraries     Contains library files that supports the binaries located under /bin and /sbin     Library filenames are either ld* or lib*.so.*     For example: ld-2.11.1.so, libncurses.so.5.7 13. /opt – Optional add-on Applications     opt stands for optional.     Contains add-on applications from individual vendors.     add-on applications should be installed under either /opt/ or /opt/ sub-directory. 14. /mnt – Mount Directory     Temporary mount directory where sysadmins can mount filesystems. 15. /media – Removable Media Devices     Temporary mount directory for removable devices.     For examples, /media/cdrom for CD-ROM; /media/floppy for floppy drives; /media/cdrecorder for CD writer 16. /srv – Service Data     srv stands for service.     Contains server specific services related data.     For example, /srv/cvs contains CVS related data. Sursa:  http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2010/09/linux-file-system-structure/