Linux
Advanced
What is Chroot?
A mechanism that changes the apparent root directory for a process and its children, creating an isolated filesystem view.
Chroot (change root) creates a restricted environment where a process sees a different directory as the root (/). This provides basic filesystem isolation — the process cannot access files outside its chroot jail.
Uses include system recovery (chroot into a broken system from a live USB), build environments, and basic security isolation. However, chroot is not a security boundary — privileged processes can escape. Containers (Docker) provide stronger isolation.
