Absolute and relative file paths

Under Linux®, file paths are used to specify the location of files and directories in the file system. There are two types of paths: absolute paths and relative paths.

Absolute paths

An absolute path specifies the complete location of a file or directory from the root directory /. It always begins with a slash / and provides the complete path to the destination.

Examples of absolute paths:

/home/Administrator/documents/report.txt
/etc/ssh/sshd_config
/proc/cmdline

Regardless of where you are currently located in the file system, an absolute path always points to the same location.

Relative paths

A relative path specifies the location of a file or directory relative to your current working directory. It does not begin with a slash /.

Special directory symbols:

. (one point) - refers to the current directory
.. (two points) - refers to the higher-level, higher-order directory (one level higher)
~ (tilde) - refers to your home directory

Examples of relative paths:

If your current directory is /home/Administrator:

documents/report.txt - refers to /home/Administrator/documents/report.txt
./documents/report.txt - same as above (current directory explicit)
../Administrator/documents/report.txt - goes up one level and then down again
~/documents/report.txt - uses the home directory abbreviation

Important commands for navigating the file system.
Command	Description
`pwd`	Use `pwd` to view your current directory.
`cd /etc`	Use `cd /etc` to change to the /etc directory with an absolute path.
`cd ..`	Use `cd ..` to move up one level.
`ls -l`	Execute `ls -l` to list the contents of the current directory in long format.
`cd ~`	Use `cd ~` to return to your home directory.
`ls -a`	Run `ls -a` to list all files including hidden files.
`ls ./.ssh`	Use `ls ./.ssh` to navigate with a relative path.
`ls /usr/bin`	Try `ls /usr/bin` to list files with an absolute path.
`ls ../`	Try `ls ../` to list the higher-level, higher-order directory with a relative path.