File system API

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A file system API is an application programming interface through which a utility or user program requests services of a file system. An operating system may provide abstractions for accessing different file systems transparently.

Some file system APIs may also include interfaces for maintenance operations, such as creating or initializing a file system, verifying the file system for integrity, and defragmentation.

Each operating system includes the APIs needed for the file systems it supports. Microsoft Windows has file system APIs for NTFS and several FAT file systems. Linux systems can include APIs for ext2, ext3, ReiserFS, and Btrfs to name a few.