inodes

In the world of Linux, everything is considered a file, be it a text file, a directory, a device, or even a socket. This universal approach to system resources simplifies interactions but raises questions about how Linux manages these files so efficiently. The secret lies deep within the filesystem, an essential component called "inodes." An inode (Index Node) is a data structure used by Linux and other UNIX-like operating systems to store information about a filesystem object, which can be a file, a folder, or any other type of file. However, it's crucial to understand that inodes store metadata about the file, not the file content itself.