INODE in Linux

What is an INODE in Linux?

I must say that its a data structure that keeps track of all the information about a file.

You store your information in a file, and the operating system stores the information about a file in an inode(sometimes called as an inode number).

Information about files(data) are sometimes called metadata. So you can even say it in another way, "An inode is metadata of the data."

Whenever a user or a program needs access to a file, the operating system first searches for the exact and unique inode (inode number), in a table called as an inode table. In fact the program or the user who needs access to a file, reaches the file with the help of the inode number found from the inode table.

To reach a particular file with its "name" needs an inode number corresponding to that file. But to reach an inode number you dont require the file name. Infact with the inode number you can get the data.