How are devices represented in UNIX?

In UNIX, devices are represented as special files located in the /dev directory. These files can be categorized into two types: character devices, which transmit data one character at a time, and block devices, which handle data in blocks. Each device file has a unique major and minor number that identifies the device driver and the specific device instance, respectively. This abstraction allows users and applications to interact with hardware devices through standard file I/O operations.