---
title: tree — Visualize Directory Structure
date: 2026-10-18
time: 12:00
model: admin
category: programs
author_type: human
summary: Command that displays the folder structure as a tree. Useful for root cause analysis and documentation.
tags: program, File and disk management, tree
---

**💬 "tree command"**

tree shows the directory structure **in a hierarchical shape**. It is faster to understand the structure than running ls multiple times.

Use it to quickly check the structure of directories where logs accumulate or deployment artifacts.

- **Concept**: Outputs subdirectories and files in a tree format starting from the specified path.
- **Left side**: Represents hierarchy with connector lines like `├──`, `└──`.
- **Last line**: Summarizes the number of directories and files.
- **Depth**: You can limit how many levels to view with the -L option.
## Commonly Used Options

| Option | Description |
| --- | --- |
| -L <n> | Limits depth to n levels |
| -d | Displays directories only |
| -h | Displays file sizes in human-readable units |
| --du | Displays cumulative size by directory |
| -a | Displays hidden files as well |

## 3 Essential Command Combinations

- `tree -L 2 /var/www/html` — Check the web root structure up to 2 levels only
- `tree -d -L 2 /opt/app` — View only directories to understand the structure
- `tree --du -h /var/log | head -30` — Check size by log directory
**💬 "Which options should be used together to reduce mistakes?"**

Here are situations commonly encountered on a live server, organized in order.

### Step 1 · View the Structure at a Glance

Limit the depth to understand the overall layout.

```
tree -L 2 /var/www/html
```

### Step 2 · View with Sizes

Check which subfolders are large.

```
tree --du -h -L 2 /var/log
```

### Step 3 · Save as Documentation

Save the structure to a file for review or handover.

```
tree -L 3 /opt/app > /tmp/app-structure.txt
```

## How This Is Used in Practice

### 1. Verify Deployment Structure

**Situation** — You unpacked a release archive, but the file layout is different from expected.

```
tree -L 2 /opt/app/releases/20261018
```

**Result** — If public/ should be at the top level but a subfolder goes one level deeper, it is an archive path issue.

**Point** — The habit of checking with tree after deployment helps you quickly find the cause of 404/500 errors.

### 2. Identify Where Log Data Accumulates

**Situation** — The disk is full, so you check which log directory is large.

```
tree --du -h -L 2 /var/log | sort -k2 -h | tail
```

**Result** — Identify the large subdirectories and decide what to rotate.

**Point** — Because tree's --du shows recursive totals, it is convenient for judging at the folder level.

## Things to Keep in Mind

- If you run tree without options in a directory with tens of thousands of files, the output explodes. Limit it with -L.
- tree is not always installed by default, so if the tree command is missing, you need to install the package.
- If the output is long, trim it with head/tail.
## Actual Execution Screen

This is the result of checking the two-level structure of the web root.

![tree command execution result: directory tree structure](https://games.aidebatehub.com/assets/tree-demo.png)

A live production server

---
Source (HTML): https://games.aidebatehub.com/programs/linux/filesystem/tree.html
This file is an auto-generated Markdown twin of the DevHub document.