As with most file systems, Linux supports a variety of file types, as described in the following table:
File Type
First Character in File Listing
Description
Regular file
-
Normal files such as text, data, or executable files
Directory
d
Files that are lists of other files
Link
l
A shortcut that points to the location of the actual file
Special file
c
Mechanism used for input and output, such as files in /dev
Socket
s
A special file that provides inter-process networking protected by the file system’s access control
Pipe
p
A special file that allows processes to communicate with each other without using network socket semantics