What is stored in the /boot directory?

/boot holds the files the machine needs to actually start Linux — the kernel image, the initramfs, and the bootloader's configuration.

This directory is special because it's read at the most fragile moment: power-on, before the full system exists. The boot sequence is roughly bootloader → kernel → initramfs → real system, and the first three live here:

• Kernel (vmlinuz-*) — the compressed Linux kernel itself.
• initramfs / initrd — a tiny temporary root filesystem loaded into RAM that contains just enough drivers to find and mount the real root disk.
• GRUB config — tells the bootloader which kernel(s) exist and which to start.

It's often a separate partition for a practical reason: the bootloader runs before Linux understands fancy or encrypted filesystems, so /boot is kept on a simple format the firmware can read.

Gotcha: breaking /boot — deleting the kernel, corrupting GRUB's config — leaves a machine that powers on but can't load an OS. Don't hand-edit it casually; let the package manager update kernels.

Tip: A filename like vmlinuz-5.14.0-362.el9.x86_64 decodes as kernel version 5.14.0, build 362, for Enterprise Linux 9, on x86-64. Multiple such files mean multiple kernels you can boot — handy if a new one misbehaves.