# Pseudo devices
Last edited: 2026-02-05
Pseudo devices
Pseudo devices are not backed by real hardware but offer virtual interfaces to the OS . They provide functionality that is useful for testing, debugging and interacting with the OS . Examples of some devices in Linux are:
/dev/null: All written data here is discarded./dev/zero: Provides an infinite stream of zero-values when read./dev/random: Generates cryptographically secure random data./dev/urandom: Generates non-blocking random data./dev/full: Simulates a full disk and generates an error when written to.