Filesystems Hierarchy Layouts Research Project
Description
Having trouble working with filesystems hierarchy layouts especially those that has standardized regulations like UNIX and Windows? Are you looking for some design references that are comforming and portable to as many operating as possible? This is the right research dataset.
At (Holloway) Chew, Kean Ho's Filesystems Hierarchy Layouts Research Project, tech volunteers and me are continuously updating this repository for abstracting common filesystems and directory layouts for various purposes. The research goals are simple:
- Maximizing Compatibilities, Minimizing Conflicts - analyzes and abstracts various standards for common patterns. Through these patterns, new projects can maximize inter-compatibilities and minimizing conflicts across multiple operating systems; AND
- Unifying Filesystems - With common patterns in filesystems and directory organizations, packaging software for end-user can be simplified and unified for easier and maintainable maintenances works, automations, documentations, and communitions sakes; AND
- Solid and Hygienic Design References For Project Structuring - something clean and reliable to refer (not a rule to enforce) when designing a project directory layout.
This dataset is a 100% deterministic with futuristic directive concequencies. It is 100% human-made. Direct artificial intelligences (A.I) contributions (e.g. vibe coding) IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Only use A.I. for non-concequential tasks like scouting for data source materials across the broken search engines.
Warning
REMEMBER: THESE ARE DESIGN REFERENCES; NOT RELIGIOUS RULES. In other words, they are opinions.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RELIGIOUSLY ENFORCE your project layouts by pointing back to this project. IN NO WAY this project is encourages anyone to adhere opinions.
Fanatism destroys. Please act responsbily and sensibly.
To use this dataset, first setup the markdown rendering git repository (e.g. its GitHub mirror: https://github.com/ChewKeanHo/researches-filesystems-hierarchy). There you can read the descriptions of each directory. For dataset, you need an UNIX program called tree. Then execute the command:
$ tree -a -d path/to/TARGET/
The final outputs are consolidated into:
- Common Directory Structure - the /Common. This is used for all common functioning directories that can combine with other directories for inter-compatible interpretations.
- User Home Directory Structure - the /User. This is used to setup an user's home directory especially for graphical user interface. It can combine with other directories for inter-compatible interpretations.
- UNIX Filesystems Hierarchy - the /UNIX. The abstracted compatible filesystems across ALL UNIX OSes including BSD and Linux-based.
Any specific filesystem hierarchies are prefixed with an underscore (_). These are dedicated directories for consolidating their respective specific designs prior to /UNIX abstractions. Among them are:
- FreeBSD Filesystems Hierarchy - the /_FreeBSD UNIX-like OS.
- Linux Filesystems Hierarchy - the /_Linux-based UNIX-like OS. Note that this consolidates all kinds of Linux-based OSes including but not limited to SystemD, FreeDesktop.org, Red Hat, Debian, Devuan, Void Linux, Fedora, etc.
- Project Directory Structures - the /_Project commonly used for small modular project repository (e.g.
gitproject repository).
Files
README.md
Files
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Additional details
Identifiers
Dates
- Created
-
2025-12-09Initialized Project
Software
- Repository URL
- https://github.com/ChewKeanHo/researches-filesystems-hierarchy
- Development Status
- Active
References
- FreeBSD, 2025, "3.5. Directory Structure", FreeBSD Handbook, 4th Edition, The FreeBSD Project by The FreeBSD Community & The FreeBSD Foundations, viewed 09 December 2025, available at: https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/basics/#dirstructure
- Software Freedom Conservancy, 2025, "file-hierarchy — File system hierarchy overview", FreeDesktop via Software Freedom Conservancy, viewed 09 December 2025, available at: https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/latest/file-hierarchy.html
- FreeDesktop Filesystem Hierarchy Standard Project Contributors, The Linux Foundation, Daniel Quinlan, Paul 'Rusty' Russell, Christopher Yeoh; 2025; "Filesystem Hierarchy Standard"; FreeDesktop via Software Freedom Conservancy; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://specifications.freedesktop.org/fhs/latest/rootFilesystem.html
- GoHugo Authors; 2025; "Directory Structure"; The GoHugo Team; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://gohugo.io/getting-started/directory-structure/
- Palebloodsky; 2025; "Filesystems"; OpenWRT.org; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/storage/filesystems-and-partitions
- bxbzq, Cath O'Deray, kpedersen; 2021; "What's the proper way to install truetype fonts"; the FreeBSD Forum; The FreeBSD Foundation via XenForo Ltd; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/whats-the-proper-way-to-install-truetype-fonts.79999/
- Graham Perrin, David Edmundson; 2024; "Bug 442976"; bugs.kde.org; KDE.org; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=442976
- Joe Brockmeier; 2025; "Debian Technical Committee overrides systemd change"; Articles; lwn.net via Eklektix, Inc.; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://lwn.net/Articles/1041316/
- rfc1036 et al.; 2025; "/var/lock/ is the standard interface for locks of serial devices"; GitHub via GitHub.Inc; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: systemd/systemd#38563
- Devuan; 2025; "Welcome to Devuan"; Devuan.org; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://www.devuan.org/
- Void Linux Contributors and Juan RP; 2025; "The Void (Linux) distribution"; VoidLinux.org; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://docs.voidlinux.org/about/index.html
- SystemD; 2025; "The Case for the /usr Merge"; SystemD.org; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://systemd.io/THE_CASE_FOR_THE_USR_MERGE/
- Oracle; 2012; "User Environment Feature Changes"; Oracle Solaris 11 Information Library; Oracle and/or its affiliates; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23824_01/html/E24456/userenv-1.html
- Debian; 2025; "UsrMerge - The Debian /usr Merge"; Wiki; Debian.org; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://wiki.debian.org/UsrMerge
- Red Hat; 2025; "Changes/Unify bin and sbin"; Wiki; FedoraProject.org via Red Hat Inc. and others; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/Unify_bin_and_sbin
- Flatpak Team; 2025; "Introduction to Flatpak"; Documentations; Flatpak Team via @pradyunsg's Furo; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://docs.flatpak.org/en/latest/introduction.html
- Red Hat; 2025; "Chapter 2. File System Structure and Maintenance"; Red Hat Enterprise Linux > 7 > Storage Administration Guide; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_enterprise_linux/7/html/storage_administration_guide/ch-filesystem
- The Linux Userspace API Group; 2025; "UAPI.9 Linux File System Hierarchy#"; UAPI Group Specifications; Version 0.1; The Linux Userspace API Group; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://uapi-group.org/specifications/specs/linux_file_system_hierarchy/
- FreeBSD; 2025; "hier - Miscellaneous Information Manual"; FreeBSD Manual Pages; The FreeBSD Project via The FreeBSD Community and The FreeBSD Foundation; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://man.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?hier(7)
- FreeBSD; 2025; "Ports - Miscellaneous Information Manual"; FreeBSD Manual Pages; The FreeBSD Project via The FreeBSD Community and The FreeBSD Foundation; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://man.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=ports&sektion=7&apropos=0&manpath=FreeBSD+15.0-RELEASE+and+Ports
- FreeBSD; 2025; "Chapter 4. Installing Applications: Packages and Ports"; FreeBSD Handbook; The FreeBSD Project via The FreeBSD Community and The FreeBSD Foundation; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/ports/
- FreeBSD; 2025; "FreeBSD Porter's Handbook"; FreeBSD Handbook; The FreeBSD Project via The FreeBSD Community and The FreeBSD Foundation; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/porters-handbook/book/
- FreeBSD; 2025; "yp - System Manager's Manual"; FreeBSD Manual Pages; The FreeBSD Project via The FreeBSD Community and The FreeBSD Foundation; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://man.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=yp&manpath=FreeBSD+13.2-STABLE
- FreeBSD; 2025; "named - Internet domain name server"; FreeBSD Manual Pages; The FreeBSD Project via The FreeBSD Community and The FreeBSD Foundation; viewed 09 December 2025; available at: https://man.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=named&sektion=8&manpath=OpenBSD+5.1