Gnu/coreutils/Special-file-types

12 Special file types

This chapter describes commands which create special types of files (and rmdir, which removes directories, one special file type).

Although Unix-like operating systems have markedly fewer special file types than others, not everything can be treated only as the undifferentiated byte stream of normal files. For example, when a file is created or removed, the system must record this information, which it does in a directory—a special type of file. Although you can read directories as normal files, if you’re curious, in order for the system to do its job it must impose a structure, a certain order, on the bytes of the file. Thus it is a “special” type of file.

Besides directories, other special file types include named pipes (FIFOs), symbolic links, sockets, and so-called special files.

• link invocation		Make a hard link via the link syscall
• ln invocation		Make links between files.
• mkdir invocation		Make directories.
• mkfifo invocation		Make FIFOs (named pipes).
• mknod invocation		Make block or character special files.
• readlink invocation		Print value of a symlink or canonical file name.
• rmdir invocation		Remove empty directories.
• unlink invocation		Remove files via the unlink syscall