/media Directory: Explanation & Insights

Mount removable media

In the Linux operating system, the /media directory is a special directory that is used to mount removable media such as USB drives, CD-ROMs, and DVD-ROMs.

When a removable media device is inserted into a computer, it is typically automatically mounted by the operating system. The device is then made available to the user as a directory within the /media directory. For example, if a USB drive is inserted into the computer, it might be mounted as `/media/USB.

The /media directory is a standard part of most Linux file systems and is typically located on the same partition as the root directory (/). It is used as a convenient location for accessing the contents of removable media without having to specify the device name or device node of the device.

The /media directory is typically managed by the udev daemon, which is responsible for creating and removing directories for removable media as they are inserted and removed from the system.

In addition to removable media, the /media directory may also be used to mount other types of file systems, such as network file systems or file systems on remote servers. This can be useful for accessing files on other systems or for sharing files with other users.