In Linux, a path is a way of identifying the location of a file or directory on your computer’s file system. There are two types of paths: relative and absolute.
An absolute path is a full path that starts from the root directory of the file system, denoted by “/”. An absolute path specifies the complete path to a file or directory, starting from the root directory. For example, the absolute path to the home directory of the current user might be “/home/username”.
A relative path, on the other hand, specifies the location of a file or directory relative to the current directory you are in. It does not start from the root directory. Relative paths are shorter and simpler than absolute paths. For example, if you are currently in the directory “/home/username”, a relative path to a file located in a subdirectory named “Documents” might be “Documents/file.txt”.
Here are some examples to illustrate the difference between relative and absolute paths:
- Absolute path example: If a file is located at /usr/local/bin/myfile.txt, then the absolute path to that file is “/usr/local/bin/myfile.txt”.
- Relative path example: If you are currently in the directory “/home/username”, and you want to access a file located in a subdirectory called “Documents”, the relative path to that file might be “Documents/file.txt”.
Imagine that you are trying to give someone directions to your house. You could give them two types of directions: absolute directions or relative directions.
- Absolute directions: These directions start from a fixed reference point and give the full path to your house, regardless of where the person is currently located. For example, you might say “My house is located at 123 Main Street, which is two blocks south and one block east of the town hall.”
- Relative directions: These directions start from the person’s current location and give directions based on their current position. For example, you might say “From the town hall, walk two blocks south and one block east to get to my house.”
In Linux, file paths work similarly. A file path is the location of a file or directory in the filesystem.
- An absolute path is the full path to a file or directory, starting from the root directory of the filesystem. It gives the full path regardless of where the person is currently located. For example, the absolute path to the “/home/user/Documents” directory might be “/home/user/Documents”.
- A relative path is the path to a file or directory relative to the current working directory. It gives directions based on the person’s current location. For example, if the current working directory is “/home/user”, the relative path to the “/home/user/Documents” directory might be simply “Documents”.
So, to summarize, absolute paths give the full path to a file or directory from the root directory, while relative paths give the path to a file or directory relative to the current working directory.