Things in /dev are special files. The majority of devices are either block or character devices; however other types of devices exist and can be created. In general, ‘block devices’ are devices that store or hold data, ‘character devices’ can be thought of as devices that transmit or transfer data.

What is the use of Dev in Linux?

/dev is the location of special or device files. It is a very interesting directory that highlights one important aspect of the Linux filesystem – everything is a file or a directory.

What does the command dev device indicates?

/dev/parport0

This is a device to access the port directly. It is a character device on major node 99 with minor node 0.