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File Paths

A path describes the location of a file or directory in the filesystem. There are two ways to write one: absolute and relative.

Absolute Paths​

An absolute path starts at the root of the filesystem and is therefore unambiguous, regardless of the current location.

  • On Linux and macOS the root is /, e.g. /home/user/notes.txt
  • On Windows it starts with a drive letter, e.g. C:\Users\user\notes.txt

Relative Paths​

A relative path is interpreted relative to the current working directory. It does not start with / (or a drive letter).

cd /home/user
cat notes.txt          # => /home/user/notes.txt
cat projects/app.js    # => /home/user/projects/app.js

Special Path Components​

ComponentMeaning
/Root directory (start of an absolute path)
.The current directory
..The parent directory (one level up)
~The current user's home directory

Examples​

cd ..        # Move up one directory
cd ./bin     # Enter the bin directory below the current one
cd ~         # Go to the home directory
cat ../config.txt

Working Directory​

The working directory is the directory a process is currently "in". It is the anchor every relative path is resolved against.

pwd    # Print the current working directory