Editing Inode (section)

{{short description|Data structure describing a file-system object and disk block locations of the object data}}
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An '''inode''' (index node) is a [[data structure]] in a [[Unix filesystem|Unix-style file system]] that describes a [[File system|file-system]] object such as a [[computer file|file]] or a [[directory (computing)|directory]]. Each inode stores the attributes and disk block locations of the object's data.<ref>{{cite book|first= Andrew S.|last=Tanenbaum|title= Modern Operating Systems|edition=3rd|page=279}}</ref> File-system object attributes may include [[metadata]] (times of last change,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linux-faqs.info/general/difference-between-mtime-ctime-and-atime |title=Difference between mtime, ctime and atime - Linux Howtos and FAQs|author=JVSANTEN|work=Linux Howtos and FAQs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120083112/https://www.linux-faqs.info/general/difference-between-mtime-ctime-and-atime |archive-date=2016-11-20 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> access, modification), as well as owner and [[File system permissions|permission]] data.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-virtual-filesystem-switch |title=Anatomy of the Linux virtual file system switch|work=ibm.com}}</ref>

A directory is a list of inodes with their assigned names. The list includes an entry for itself, its parent, and each of its children.