(coreutils.info)Special file types

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12 Special file types
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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