Linux File System/Structure Explained!
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- Опубліковано 19 кві 2024
- Ever get confused where to find things in Linux and where programs get installed? I'll explain what all the folders are for, and what's in them! (CLICK \/ SHOW MORE! \/ )
If you're interested in what Linux is in general, along with how you use it and its components, check out my video "What is Linux?" : • What is Linux? - Linux...
00:00 Start
02:35 /bin
02:50 /sbin
03:22 /boot
03:31 /cdrom
03:38 /dev
04:14 /etc
05:12 /lib, /lib32, /lib64
05:28 /mnt, /media
06:31 /opt
06:59 /proc
08:08 /root
08:31 /run
08:53 /snap
09:08 /srv
09:28 /sys
09:51 /tmp
10:34 /usr
11:48 /var
12:15 /home
My Patreon : / doriandotslash
Music by MrGamer (@AndreasRohdin): / gamermachine
How and Where to backup your files : • Backups in Linux - HOW...
NOTES : For MacOS and BSD, I know MacOS's history involved a lot more such as NeXTSTEP/Mach OS/BSD/Darwin etc, but I only mentioned BSD because more people have heard of it and I didn't want to get into the whole evolution of Mac to keep the video shorter.
I hope you enjoy this video on Linux Directories and File Structure Explained!
Thanks for watching!
#Linux #Linuxfilestructure #Linuxfilesystem - Наука та технологія
User: "where is the system located?" Linux: Yes
Pretty much sums it up lol
Windows: you need space? Delete system 32!
@@ErrorNoInternet Why not the whole partition? ;)
@@Doriandotslash what is the name of this distro ? or theme look
@@ErrorNoInternet That's what flamethrowers are for
I love how this is only 15 minutes long, no sponsor spot, and there is not a single wasted word.
Too wordy! Study how the original 'man' pages were written. Short koans, short enough to memorize while their full meaning dawned on you over several weeks of field experience.
5 years old and still one of the most important entry level linux videos I have come across.
You’re writing very well for a 5 year old!
@@MaxOakland thanks boss I am trying
For anybody who has moved from Windows to Linux, this video is essential viewing. Extremely comprehensive, logical, great voice and easy to follow
Great video!! Thanks
I always thought that the linux file system was confusing. Now I know that it is confusing!
Haha, yes, but it's not that bad ;)
@@Doriandotslash Yeah, I guess I just have to start using it more. It just doesn't feel familiar. I like how everything is in inside of C:/, I wish Linux had a folder like that. It's like the beginning of the yellow brick road.
Well, the root folder is where everything is. Like, everything! Including devices and any drives mounted in the system. A lot of those folders are only there for the OS to use. Don’t worry, the more you use it, the more you’ll feel comfortable with it.
@@Doriandotslash That helps, thanks!
@@Doriandotslash it is really non-practical for _user_; likewise Win created abstractions like Users, %appdata%, Program Files making those abstract of DOS heritage (drive volumes)... Linux should too, it will never have a noteable part of desktop market without this and precompiled binaries. Period. p.s. "C" or "D" is much simpler for user to remember than "/mnt/sda1"... *nixes were always sysadmin/netradmin oriented, they should really think of users.
/bin 02:35
/sbin 02:50
/boot 03:22
/cdrom 03:31
/dev 03:38
/etc 04:14
/lib, /lib32, /lib64 05:12
/mnt, /media 05:28
/opt 06:31
/proc 06:59
/root 08:08
/run 08:31
/snap 08:53
/srv 09:08
/sys 09:28
/tmp 09:51
/usr 10:34
/var 11:48
/home 12:15
ma man;)
Very productive comment , appreciate it!
00:47 does anyone know what that game is ?
@@akshaymathur2225 Jazz Jackrabbit
Thanks nerd!
Been using Linux for years and I’ve never seen anyone explain directories so thoroughly. Always something more to learn. Thank you.
Glad you liked it!
I am 60, and about 4 years ago I threw Windows under the bus for Linux, and I am now a happy computer user.
Although I mastered the most important basics of the system, your video came to give further insights into that!
Thank you very much!
Dude why would you throw windows under the bus it took people time to make it so you can look outside
@@progamerbufovi
Ha ha ha ha
I appreciate your sense of humor.
Melinda Gates just threw Bill Gates under the bus.
Does that ring a bell?
If you throw Gates under the bus, how would you access your mansion?
@@internetsnacks150 hahahaah
@@internetsnacks150 I will drink wine to this one
@@progamerbufovi
Yeah, but Wine is very limited under Linux. Not all .EXE files work properly.
I'd rather drink whisky. 😂😂
The Linux 2 golden commandments:-
1. Here are lots of folders.
2. Don't go messing with any of them.
This guy doesn't enforce SElinux :P
@@boemlauw I find selinux to be like having a huge mansion full of hundreds of rooms, except in front of every doorway is a huge bouncer in a bad mood.
Deon Denis if you know what you are doing and know how to deal with the consequences you’re free to do anything, even in real life. Else be careful.
Your pc will die
@Deon Denis yes absolutely
"next is boot, this is a folder you dont want to play around with"
me: plays with the grub folder like there is no tommorow
Haha well, you shouldn’t if you don’t know what you’re doing. If you know what you’re doing then all is fair game 😎
make sure to use timeshift :)
@@Doriandotslash I mostly know. But even if i make a mistake as long i dont lose any important files its ok.
Doesn't hurt to keep a backup of your root partition. But if you break something, load up the live USB, mount it and chroot on over. Hard to break anything if you know what you're doing or willing to research and learn. Most anything you want to configure for GRUB is going to be in /etc/grub.d/ anyways unless you're themeing it. In that case, carry on and keep a backup :D
if you are a beginner, you shouldn't change that unless you are prepared to learn how to fix it and might even reinstall the OS.
Then a separate partition for /home is a good thing. :-)
This was incredibly useful. I've owned and used computers since 1978, starting with a Commodore PET, and been a programmer etc but never messed with Linux much. I just started setting up a virtual Linux server on AWS and this folder structure overview was exactly what I was looking for, very well done explanation - thank you again.
wow that's cool
I remember the PET! I also remember using punch cards in highschool.
I've been using (and in many cases) perplexed by the file system in multiple flavors of Linux over the years (honestly, I don't know what every single file/folder in Windows does either), but this short video increased my comfort level greatly. Thanks for putting it up!
etc - Registry, Local Machine
boot - The boot partition
bin and sbin - Windows and system32
lib - system32
opt and some bin - Program Files
dev and proc has no corresponding windows directories
home and root - Users
media, mnt and cdrom - drive letters assigned by windows, but ntfs allows you to mount a partition to a folder like in linux
Thanks
fck u
/ = not like dump \
etc = cfg
boot = boot
bin = binary compilated
lib = library for bin
opt = other shit
var = tmp shit
root = god
usr = multi shit
home = hamster shit
dev = device
dd if=/dev/randomshit of=/yourbrain
*bin* and *sbin* - system32 and any directories listed in the PATH variable
*dev* - This PC, Device Manager
*proc* - Task Manager > Details, dxdiag.exe
*run* - That one app you use to allocate space in RAM for use as volatile, high-speed storage
Dude, you just saved me 15 minutes of life!
@@TheDragShot , in /proc you can write also which you can't do in Task Manager.
I'm teaching my 14 year old grandson the Linux OS and Python programming on the Raspberry pi.
He is a willing student and this is the best introduction to the Linux file system I've found.
Your work will help launch him on what I'm sure will be a rewarding career.
Thank you
That’s awesome to hear David and I’m glad this helped you out! I wish him all the best! Thank you 😁
Best grandfather
At least you have this the easy way.... I am 24 and i might have to teach Linux OS for my granparents if their Windows dies..... And they are the sort of people who think that everything is gone and untraceable after you put it to Trash bin.....
I'm glad that you're doing it with python instead of something like C
I kinda envy him. I'm 22 and only starting to get to know Linux, I used to use Windows everywhere: home, school, now at work (unless I have to do something on a Linux server which is extremely rare or have to deal with something like crashed ESXi host - ESXi is based on Unix/Linux/whatever but follows the same ideas). Since I'm a lazy person (which is why I usually try to automate as much as possible), it's kinda discouraging. That's why I now installed a Ubuntu server at home for my website project and didn't install a GUI for it 😏. Now I simply have to deal with the CLI. Even though I access it over SSH from my Windows laptop 😅.
Thanks so much man. This has helped me immensely! I’ve been an IT professional supporting Windows environments for over 20 years and am only just getting serious about Linux at home now.
The tutorial is terrific at giving an overview without being daunting. Well done and now I don’t feel overwhelmed at the idea of installing a non GUI distro. Cent OS here I come!
You are teaching me much more than my instructor has in 5 months in 16 mins without myself getting confused. Seriously though thanks for this!
looking for the C drive [scary music]
had me laughing so hard...
:D
if someone really, really, really wants to, they could probably mount it to a folder "C" somewhere in their home directory and call it a day.
Anyone knows the name of that music?
@@karimm.elsayad9539 Classic Horror Movie ... it has become a trope. ua-cam.com/video/Me-VhC9ieh0/v-deo.html It is from an Alfred Hitchcock movie called "Psycho"
C is mounted to /
I seem to have stumbled upon a golden nugget with this video.
Thank you :)
azul
@@atlas6397 makaynch chi 7aja smteha Azul
@@atlas6397 hhh wakha mnhdarch al7a9i9a maghadich tebadal kab9a l7a9i9a hia hia Azul satazul surtt m3a l3ilm DNA gal anaho barbar 9lal f chamal afri9ia
@@dexd.5971 dna taygol anna ga3 nnas d chamal ifriqia barbar, sir tqawwad, mal dil mmok m7achach
I really appreciated this video my man. It's a daunting task for an absolute novice with computers to learn linux. I needed to start somewhere and this was a great start by learning wtf my directories are for. Your explanations were clear and concise, no clutter, no confusion. Thank you.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!
This a goldmine of a video! Especially for a student, this takes the boring lectures to a fun and interactive level that makes it easier to learn. The graphics and explaining are great, and a bonus point for humor 😁 especially in the beginning. 10/10
This is one of the best explanations I have seen
This video is indeed not bad, however, it only covers the basics. There is a lot more to know about it.
It isn’t this simple unless you use only one distro. And the made up backronyms for etc and usr are ridiculous. You have to understand the history of Unix for the filesystem layout to make sense. There is no history here.
@@Salcay No it's excellent. It covers what people need to know.
@@stargazer7644 Does that really matter?
@@wisteela No. There is a lot more to know about it, and this only covers the basics. As a former Linux instructor myself, please let me know what I am saying!
I remember for the first few years, i had no idea what was where. The most I learned about linux was "Well, I know not to delete/change that file/folder. Time to reinstall from scratch.".
This was a pretty good breakdown, striking a good balance of context while maintaining the focus on each topic. Well done and very useful!
Love this style of teaching. Tangible applicable examples and direct to the point communication. Thanks a ton mate!
Thanks Dorian. I really, really needed this! Unfortunately I needed it in 1994. But that's not your fault! Well done.
Haha yes I would have also liked knowing this in the 90’s lol
Me: Plays around with directories until things break, then restores snapshot.
... until you break your ability to restoer a snapshot. ;)
Nicely done! Hands down one of the best and accurate Linux directory structure walkthroughs I’ve watched. Coming from a long time Linux user.
Thank you for this concise breakdown. Always wanted to have this information in a video that isn't super long winded and complex. Much appreciation, good sir!
ugh thank god, an explanation in plain, non-research scientist, language. 8:21
Well please explain what god is?
god is absolutely NOT the same thing as God.
Besides which Jesus never heard of the word God and never used it.
@@andrew_koala2974 Who cares
@@andrew_koala2974 Well, please explain what "Jesus" is... (or, on second thought - dont!)
Relatable. Technical people love using their own language instead of plain english
Thank you so much for this! It was rather intimidating to think that I was going to force myself to learn what seems like an absolute mess, but it's so simple, efficient and makes sense now!
I'm glad you found it informative! Thanks :)
New to Linux and just started a Dev internship. Thank you so much helped me conceptualize everything easier
This is brilliant. Cleared up so many confusions I had and can relate to the scripts I've been blindly following in tutorials and guides
Create an OS and call it "DOORS" .. Are you tired of just looking out of Windows?, Try walking through DOORS, Information worldwide within your grasp. Opening up a new world to it's users.
OMG That's awesome lol
Reading that, got flashbacks of IBM/Rational DOORS...
what about making it even bigger and calling it: GATES!! oh, no wait...
Hilarious!
@@kemasolar That rhymes well with Bill ... Gates.
I have not came across a better explanation of Linux than what you have put on your channel. Thank you for explaining this in a way that even a beginner like myself can learn. Some videos I’ve seen just jump into the terminal and you’re left bewildered, trying to understand another language at times. I hope you come out with more content because you are definitely doing the world some good.
Thanks very much! 😁
finally! some common sense!
no ranting, no useless info, no slowed down video, straight to the point and informative!
dude, thanks!
ps. would be nice to have a printable cheat sheet with this info!
You've covered more things than my teacher had in 2 semesters. Sub and liked!
Thanks so much!
u proves another factor we don't need universities any more
10 bucky?
It is unfortunate that your teacher failed to teach you the correct usage of the English language and say 'You have' and not You've.
What you speak is Sv=immon Street English, the language of peasants.
A modern-day peasant, but a peasant none-the-less.
Your best skill is to Bastardize the English Language.
@@andrew_koala2974 here is a modern day language:
Fuck off.
10:35 *usr* is better thought of as *universal system resources.* The connection to "user" is mostly historic (used to contain user home directories like _/home/_ does now.) Nowadays, It's shared by all users, generally isn't user-writeable, and should only be modified via the package manager. (Custom apps belong in _/usr/local/bin/_ ; users can install into _~/.local/bin/_ )
In some distros like Arch, _/bin/_ & _/sbin/_ are just symlinked to _/usr/bin/_ , as specified in *file-hierarchy.7* for systemd.
Yep, some historical references have still stuck around though. And many have made up their own versions of what they stand for, which have also stuck around. Regardless of what they actually stand for, what's important is that you know what's inside :). As for the Arch thing (also Manjaro, Antergos etc), yes they made changes, which is what I mentioned at the beginning of the video. Cheers!
Usr move is pretty standard now. Systemd revised some old concepts by bringing new concepts from solaris. @@Doriandotslash
This is one of the best explanation of linux file system i've seen so far, thanks you so much!
Thank you very much for taking your time to break down all the files the way you did. I like how you have the pop up at the beginning of each.
Man, this is one of THE MOST USEFUL videos i have ever seen.
Thank you!
Cheers!
Very well explained indeed!
Can see the hard work you've put in into the making of this video!
Thumbs up!
Subscribed.
Thank you very much! I appreciate it :)
This is the best explanation of the Linux file system I have seen. I'm not a noob, but definitely not entirely comfortable in Linux either. I learned a lot. Thank you!
Good lord, a million thanks for this video. It was so clear, I've been using linux for 10 years and I have never taken the time to understand this before!
Awesome informative tutorial for a new Linux user, thanks!!
Thanks Edwin! There will me more to come ;)
HUGE Thank you to Curlindus for his hard work in writing the Russian translation for this video! Cheers!
If anyone else would like to translate this or any of my other videos into any language just let me know!
I would like to translate into Romanian.
Mihai Alexandru Manolescu that would be fantastic! Please do 🤗 If you're not sure how, let me know and I'll help you out!
Hey DorianDotSlash. Thanks for this great video! Really! Although I have been a Linux user for almost for a decade, I never deepened into one of the most fundamental system basis. And now, thanks to you, I finally got to understand the structure. In return, and following the example of @Curlindus, i'm making the spanish subtitles for the videos. It'll be uploaded very soon. Regards!
Wow, this video is my reference from now on about the Linux File System. Great job, and thank you for making this.
I just did the jump from Windows to Pop_OS and, while being a little overwhelmed by all the new things to master, old habits to forget, etc. I must say that I am really impressed by the level of customization and overall control that a user can get on Linux. After so many years as a Windows user, understanding the file system structure was a struggle until I stumbled upon this Incredibly useful video.
From a Dorian to another, many thanks!
Still using pop?
You've shone a light on something which has confused me for years! Thank you!
Thanks 😁
0:20
That feel is real.
Im a dev and spent most of my career in working in windows and have been able to "get around" in linux just enough to do my job or tweak things ... but this really has cleared a lot for me.
THANK YOU
So “simple” and elegant! I’m new to Linux and this really helped, thanks.
Network Admin and Security college student here. Thank you very much for your contribution. This video is now stored in my "Tutorials" folder for future reference. Also Subscribed. Thank you so much for this explanation!!
Glad you found it informative :) Cheers!
Excellent presentation and very informative. I've used Linux for a few years now but never really learned about this. You did a great job explaining all the different folders that to a Windows guy were a bit confusing. Thank you so much. I really was well done. I learned a lot.
Thanks Bill! My entire channel is dedicated to helping new Linux users as well as veterans alike. I also try to keep it somewhat easy to understand while being informative. Thanks for watching!
Wonderful overview. Your "for example" explanation for each directory was very helpful. Thanks for putting in the effort to go that extra step.
Thank you :)
You've earned my subscription. I've been wondering about this since I navigated to the root directory of my first Android phone. Thank you for that huge 10 mile hike's worth of leg work. You're making newbie Linux users such as myself feel more at ~/
Excellent video. Very informative and clearly explained in a simplistic way.
Thanks for appearing in my recommended.
I try! lol Thanks for watching :)
I've been using *nix for more than 5 years and a lot of this was new to me. Thanks, I really appreciate it.
This is really a nice introduction to Linux file system. Thank you, Dorian!
Amazing video! Thank you! Cannot wait for the next one
Awesome!!! I'v been using Linux for years and had yet to learn all of that.
From times to times I go to youtube to remember what the heck does the linux filesystem mean.
Thank you very much for this video, it's really straightforward and well explained.
Subscribing now!
I like the way you can go to the breaks in the timeline and flick through each directory, and it has in big letters at the bottom the folder name. Very clear.
Glad it came in handy!
Wow! This is fantastic! Just what I needed. I'm a mid-range (not a newbie, but not an expert either). While I had discovered some of this info by trial-and-error, this video just answered A LOT of questions. Great video. Thank you.
Awesome, thanks David!
I like how he is still actively reading comments to this day
Thanks for noticing! Yes I do read all my comments and try hard to reply to every one. Although sometimes there are too many and the odd one slips past me 🙂 Cheers and thanks for the comment! 👍
I can't think of any better explanation. Great job!
I'm mainly a windows sysadmin, but I have several Linux boxes that I'm responsible for as well. This was a great refresher for me and I'd recommend your video to anyone
Very good explanation. Thanks a lot.
I would install my own programs in /usr/local/bin (and lib man etc), as that is early in the list of directories to look for programs (the environment variable PATH).
Actually, /usr/local is made for system admins to install programs for every user.
Great explanation for beginners though, thanks. I might reference this for my courses.
Hey Man. I took Unix classes and DOS command line classes ages ago ovwr 20 yeats and needed a refresher..I've started a couple of books: crap, tried to watch several other people's videos: shit, weeded through forums and picked up a bunch of random refreshig but it just wasn't coming together until I watched your videos. So very well done Sir. Thanks!
Thank you.
I've used linux for a while now and since your video has appeared on my feed a lot, I decided to watch. Not feeling regret, I think I gained a lot more than I first anticipated so I owe you my gratitude.
Great to hear!
thnx good tutorial, i'm playing around with linux these days i see this very informative
Thank you, I'm glad you found it informative. Be sure to check out the rest of my channel! :)
you deserve more subscribers, great channel contents.
Thank you! I'm hoping to get more every day ;)
Started using Linux a month ago, this tutorial is very good. Many useful info in an easy to understand way.
Excellent - short, to the point, way more understandable to the newbie than most of the Linux and Unit stuff out there. Thank you!
You know I found this to be one of the best videos to describe the mess of folders I see every time I attempt to use Linux. I honestly feel like I could never use Linux as my daily drive as I find it so difficult to do things, however maybe that is because of my age now, BUT I have never had an understanding of the file structure, thank you for that. I don't think I could switch to Linux based on how games orientated I am personally but also my daily job is IT in a Windows only environment. Regardless great vid.
1:00 my first computer ... the Kaypro ][ ran CP/M, a precursor to MS-DOS. The keyboard had a handle on the underside and latches to the base to make a BIG ASS SUITCASE
Got interested in Linux recently (after using a live CD to do some recovering on a windows PC). Watching this I can understand now why programmers often use it. Everything is much more accessible on a level that would require specific tools on Windows. However, this also explains why Linux can't get a break on normal desktop user market. Windows is just a lot simpler and does everything for you and you forget it exists. As an OS should do with an end user that just wants to use their computer without having to actually learn things above a certain level!
Windows has gotten to a level where it actively gets in your way for a lot of people. It gets worse as the version numbers climb.
This is still relevant years later im happy i stubbled across this tbh it doesnt seem so complicated im used to making directories in windows and over time found how the file structure works (kinda) in some ways i feel like linux is better than windows probably just depends on your application either way thank you for this video its very valuable even 5 years later and as someone who enjoys messing around with different things (and often breaking them) i really appreciate it.
2024 and this video is still gold (for me as a newbie)!
I actually knew that bin was program files, mostly through android file exploration
Me too
Thanks for the refresher, it’s been almost two decades since I’ve messed with Linux, I used to use Unix at my job and now I want to get into it again on my new laptop because I hate windows.
at last a perfect video on Linux file system and structure. Thanks for your efforts.
Every once in a while I end up watching this video. Man this is gold!
Great video! Thank goodness for random UA-cam Recommendations... they always know what I want lol
the government is watching
Same
Superb. I give Linux a try every year, and abandon it at the first, _"You enable/fix that with the following 16 long lines of mysterious text and commands,"_ but have always wondered about the file system's structure. Thanks.
_"I'm sorry Noob, I can't do that from a click. You will need to find the 6 esoteric commands and their obscure switches needed to make me do that"_
Issues are often common and many users will get a given error based on their hardware, or some kind of failure. This means that googling that error usually leads you straight to a solution which is often something you can just copy and paste into your terminal 😎
@@Doriandotslash the problem is some of those "Solutions" will take you all afternoon to solve, and believe it or not people will put up with Win10 forced updates instead lol you still end up having to punch in line after line after line still completely unsure of what the heck you're doing.
@@bobbybologna3029 Sounds like you guys are using the wrong distro... Try something else. You know the definition of insanity right?
@@Doriandotslash Also there is the simple fact that explaining the procedure to fix the problem as open terminal and enter this command is often much easier than writing out step by step directions to handhold the user through the GUI to do the same. Lets face it if you gave most users the option of being guided through a complex multi step process or just pasting some magic words that make the problem go away they are going to pick the latter, most users just want the problem to go away they really don't care to get more involved than that.
Perhaps OpenSUSE might be worth a look for you? A lot of the esoteric commands and terminal based configs are consolidated in a GUI interface through YaST
Thank you - Great Tutorial - Totally recommend this for those needing a quick intro.
Best presentation on this subject I have every seen. good job!
Well explained. To me, it sounds like it's well crafted.
Thanks Blake! Cheers!
6:30 /opt is where any software not managed by your package manager and not compliant with FHS is installed. if it's not managed by your package manager but is FHS compliant then it goes into /usr/local. Doesn't matter if it's vendor software, homebrew, or old UNIX applications other than the fact that these tend not to be compliant with FHS.
I wish I had this video when I started years ago. I watched it to help close some of the gaps I had in understanding. Thank you for producing this!
You are so welcome!
Very good explanation! Simple, easy to understand and well thought out.
Well, now I finally know what “bin” means after ~20 years of seeing it.
:D
What did you think it was? Trash bin?
lol, i always though it was something related to recycle bin!
It's still confusing, you never need to use now /usr/bin or /usr/local/bin/
It should have been named exe (executable) though. All files are binary, not just the executable ones.
The music around 0:20 is laugh out loud hilarious. Nice.
This was great, a quick refresher gallop around Linux for a techie who hasn't touched it/Unix for 30 years! This is the video equivalent of 'C' - succinct, efficient and needs some familiarity to get everything out of it!
This is gourmet for a beginner. And the structuring of the video timeline is perfect.. *-*
Was in a bad mood till the horror movie sound played at like 0:22. Made me laugh so hard. 😂🤣😭
Glad it brightened your day! Thanks for watching :)
The NTFS file system is actually case sensitive like *nix, but the tools in windows default to it being case sensitive. It means things can get confusing if you dual boot and create two files with the same name with different cases
That was really good. I wrote down each bit in the back of my note book
Very helpful video. Definitely a thumbs up!