OS Directory Structure

OS Directory Structure Visually

Interactive Directory Structure with visual animations. Learn single-level, two-level, tree-structured, and acyclic graph directories with step-by-step visualization.

Directory Structure Single-Level Directory Two-Level Directory Tree-Structured Directory Acyclic-Graph Directory Path & Access Control Visual Simulation
Directory Structure Control
Directories: 1
Files: 0
Depth: 1
Directory Tree Single-Level Directory
Current Path
/
Root
Directory Contents 0 items
Directory is empty

1

Total Items

1

Directories

0

Files

1

Max Depth

Select directory structure type and create files/directories

Directory Structures

Directory structures organize files and subdirectories in a file system, providing different levels of organization and access control.

  • Single-Level: All files in one directory
  • Two-Level: Separate directories for each user
  • Tree-Structured: Hierarchical directory tree
  • Acyclic Graph: Allows sharing with links

Single-Level Directory

The simplest directory structure where all files are contained in the same directory.

Directory Structure: / ├── file1.txt ├── file2.doc ├── program.exe ├── data.csv └── readme.md Characteristics: - Simple implementation - No subdirectories allowed - Unique file names required - Limited scalability

Advantages:

  • Simple to implement and understand
  • Fast file access (no path traversal)
  • Minimal storage overhead

Disadvantages:

  • Name collision problems
  • No file organization
  • not suitable for multiple users
  • Difficult to manage large numbers of files

Structure Comparison

Structure Complexity Scalability Organization Sharing
Single-Level Low Poor None None
Two-Level Medium Good Basic Limited
Tree-Structured Medium Excellent Excellent None
Acyclic Graph High Excellent Excellent Full

Key Concepts

  • Path Resolution: Process of finding files using directory paths
  • Working Directory: Current directory context for relative paths
  • Absolute Path: Complete path from root directory
  • Relative Path: Path relative to current directory
  • Hard Links: Multiple directory entries for same file
  • Symbolic Links: Pointers to other files or directories

How to Use

  1. Select a directory structure type
  2. Enter name for new file or directory
  3. Choose type (file or directory)
  4. Click Create to add items
  5. Double-click directories to navigate
  6. Use Up to go to parent directory
  7. Select items and click Delete to remove
  8. Click Reset to start over

Explore different directory structures and understand their trade-offs!