What is "fstab"

The fstab (or file systems table) file is a system configuration file commonly found at /etc/fstab on Unix and Unix-like computer systems. In Linux it is part of the util-linux package. The fstab file typically lists all available disk partitions and other types of file systems and data sources that are not necessarily disk-based, and indicates how they are to be initialized or otherwise integrated into the larger file system structure.

The fstab file is read by the [[mount (Unix)|mount]] command, which happens automatically at boot time to determine the overall file system structure, and thereafter when a user executes the mount command to modify that structure. It is the duty of the system administrator to properly create and maintain the fstab file.

While fstab is still used for basic system configuration, for other uses it has been superseded by automatic mounting mechanisms.

The file has other names on some versions of Unix; for example, it is found at /etc/vfstab on Solaris systems.