FILEPATH

A filepath is a textual identifier that specifies the location of a file or directory within a computer filesystem. It encodes a sequence of directory names that an operating system uses to locate the target item, and it can be absolute, covering the full path from the root, or relative, resolving from the current working directory.

Syntax and separators vary by operating system. In Unix-like systems, components are separated by forward slashes and an initial slash denotes the root. Windows uses backslashes (though forward slashes are often accepted) and may begin with a drive letter (for example C:). UNC paths begin with double backslashes to reference shared network resources.

A path consists of components such as directories and a final element that may be a filename with an extension. Special components like . and .. represent the current and parent directories. Some shells and languages support tilde expansion for home directories, but the tilde is not part of the path itself.

Normalization and resolution convert a path into a canonical form by removing redundant separators and resolving symbolic links or relative components. Functions such as realpath or normpath, abspath, and path joins aid in safe handling and portability.

Security and portability considerations are important when handling filepaths. Untrusted input can lead to directory traversal vulnerabilities. Validate paths, constrain access to a base directory, and prefer library routines that normalize and securely join path segments rather than simple string concatenation.