An i-node is a small database containing information for all files that are created on the Unix/Linux filesystem.<br>The '''i-node number''' is like a '''finger-print''', and is considered to be '''unique''' for each file on the Unix / Linux file system.<br><br>Referring to the diagram on the far right, issuing the '''ls''' command with the '''-i''' option displays the i-node number for each file. You can see that <u>each</u> file (whether it is a directory or regular file) has its own unique<br>i-node number.