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Systems & Data Center · Foundational

Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS)

The standard that defines the directory layout and purpose of top-level directories on Linux and Unix-like systems.

Definition

The FHS, maintained by the Linux Foundation, specifies where files belong: /etc for host configuration, /var for variable data, /usr for shareable read-only programs, /home for user data, and so on. Following it lets administrators and software predict file locations across distributions.

Example

Configuration for the SSH daemon lives in /etc/ssh/sshd_config, while its logs go under /var/log.

Exam tip

Expect questions asking which directory holds a given file type, such as logs (/var/log), configs (/etc) or boot files (/boot).

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