Where Data is Stored

For an operating system, everything is considered data. For Linux, everything is considered a file:

• Programs
• Regular files
• Directories
• Block devices (hard disks, etc.)
• Character devices (consoles, etc.)
• Kernel processes
• Sockets
• Partitions
• Links
• etc.

The Linux directory structure, starting from the root / , is a collection of files containing data. The fact that everything is a file is a powerful feature of Linux as it allows for tweaking virtually every single aspect of the system.