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Recently i installed Nginx and want to change the root directory of that but i don't know what the difference is between /var/www and /srv/www and when i should use /var/www or /srv/www ?

Saeed Masoumi
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1 Answers1

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The difference is: different file structure. Different servers implement slightly different file structures.

Here is a good link that describes common file structures in Linux: Linux Directory Structure (File System Structure) Explained with Examples

From this:

/var – Variable Files

- var stands for variable files.
- Content of the files that are expected to grow can be found under this directory.
- This includes — system log files (/var/log); packages and database files (/var/lib);  
  emails (/var/mail); print queues (/var/spool); lock files (/var/lock);
  temp files needed across reboots (/var/tmp);

/srv – Service Data

- srv stands for service.
- Contains server specific services related data.
- For example, /srv/cvs contains CVS related data.

Based on that, /srv would seem more appropriate. However, the Ubuntu flavor of Linux for example does not generally use a /srv file structure and rather uses the var directory for www. So I think the key is being consistent with the OS you use.

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  • Actually, Ubuntu users are still encourage to use `/srv` too. `/var/www` is for the default, os-installed "websites" such as Apache's "It Works!" landing page. For _your_ stuff, use `/srv` – MestreLion Nov 23 '21 at 05:46
  • @MestreLion Says who? The default page is placed in a subdirectory and it won't be re-created after deletion. Just because you like to do it that way doesn't make it a policy. – Bachsau Apr 14 '22 at 11:24
  • It's not a policy, but rather a _recommendation_. The default page is shipped in Apache's `deb` package from the repositories, so it _could_ be seen as "OS-installed" stuff, just like things in `/usr`. While `/srv` is a standard location for _local_ files, which distributions and system packages should not touch. Says who? The [Filesystem Hierarchy Standard](https://refspecs.linuxfoundation.org/FHS_3.0/fhs/ch03s17.html), and Debian and Ubuntu respect that. There's even a template for enabling `/srv/www` in the default config file `/etc/apache2/apache2.conf` – MestreLion Apr 22 '22 at 02:03