WORKDIR

Workdir, short for working directory, refers to the directory that a process uses as its current location for resolving relative file paths. The working directory is part of a program’s runtime state and can influence how programs locate files, read resources, and write outputs. It is distinct from the file system root and from other processes’ directories.

In most operating systems, relative paths are resolved with reference to the current working directory. Users can view it with commands such as pwd on Unix-like systems or echo %CD% on Windows. The cd or chdir command changes the working directory, and the previous directory can often be returned to with various shell shortcuts or commands depending on the platform.

Each process has its own working directory; child processes inherit the parent’s working directory at creation time. Changing a process’s working directory affects only that process and its descendants, not unrelated processes. The concept is managed by the operating system and the runtime environment, and the value may be stored in shell state, environment variables, or process control blocks.

In containerization and build systems, the term is commonly used in reference to a specific directive or setting. For example, in Dockerfiles, a WORKDIR instruction sets the working directory for subsequent instructions (such as RUN, CMD, ENTRYPOINT, or COPY). If the directory does not exist, it is created, and it becomes the default directory for commands executed within the container.

See also: cd, pwd, chdir, PWD, OLDPWD, Dockerfile.