What is inodes in unix explain?

In Unix, an inode (index node) is a data structure that stores information about a file or directory, such as its size, ownership, permissions, and timestamps. Each file is associated with a unique inode number that helps the file system manage and access the file's data on disk. However, inodes do not contain the filename or its actual data; they only point to the location of the file's data blocks. This separation allows for efficient file management and supports features like hard links.