ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Temporary filesystem

Okay kiddo, imagine you have a big toy box that you use to store all your toys. You can play with them, then put them back in the box when you're done.

Now think of a computer’s hard drive as a big toy box, storing all kinds of information like documents, pictures, and videos.

A temporary filesystem is like a special toy box that the computer uses to store information for a short time. It's like a little box that the computer uses to hold onto information, just like how you hold onto a toy until you’re done playing with it.

But just like how you eventually have to put your toys back in the big toy box, the computer eventually has to get rid of the information in the temporary filesystem. This happens when you turn off the computer or restart it, because the temporary information isn’t important enough to keep forever.

So, in summary: a temporary filesystem is a small, temporary storage area on a computer where information is held for a short period of time, and eventually gets deleted when the computer is turned off or restarted.