The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard

Nearly all Linux distributions are compliant with a universal standard for filesystem directory structure known as the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS). The FHS defines a set of directories, each of which serve their own special function.

The forward slash (/) is used to indicate the root directory in the filesystem hierarchy defined by the FHS.

When a user logs in to the shell, they are brought to their own user directory, stored within /home/. This is referred to as the user’s home directory. The FHS defines /home/ as containing the home directories for regular users.

The root user has its own home directory specified by the FHS: /root/. Note that / is referred to as the “root directory”, and that it is different from root/, which is stored within /.

Because the FHS is the default filesystem layout on Linux machines, and each directory within it is included to serve a specific purpose, it simplifies the process of organizing files by their function.