apache/hadoop · error · ParentNotDirectoryException

Parent path is not a directory: <parentPath>

Error message

Parent path is not a directory: <parentPath>

What it means

Error "Parent path is not a directory: <parentPath>" thrown in apache/hadoop.

Source

Thrown at hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/FSDirectory.java:2049

        inode.getFsPermission(snapshot),
        inode.getUserName(snapshot),
        inode.getGroupName(snapshot),
        symlink,
        new Path(iip.getPath()));
  }

  /**
   * Verify that parent directory of src exists.
   */
  void verifyParentDir(INodesInPath iip)
      throws FileNotFoundException, ParentNotDirectoryException {
    if (iip.length() > 2) {
      final INode parentNode = iip.getINode(-2);
      if (parentNode == null) {
        throw new FileNotFoundException("Parent directory doesn't exist: "
            + iip.getParentPath());
      } else if (!parentNode.isDirectory()) {
        throw new ParentNotDirectoryException("Parent path is not a directory: "
            + iip.getParentPath());
      }
    }
  }

  /** Allocate a new inode ID. */
  long allocateNewInodeId() {
    return inodeId.nextValue();
  }

  /** @return the last inode ID. */
  public long getLastInodeId() {
    return inodeId.getCurrentValue();
  }

  /**
   * Set the last allocated inode id when fsimage or editlog is loaded.
   */

View on GitHub (pinned to 2add963021)

Solutions

1. The parent path must be a directory; remove or relocate the conflicting file, or choose another path.

When it happens

Trigger: Creating a file or directory under a parent path that exists but is a file or symlink, not a directory.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of apache/hadoop@2add963021 (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/5a99f49a3b587835. Report an issue: GitHub.