Quick Answer: How To Create A Symbolic Link In Linux?

To create a hard links on a Linux or Unix-like system:

  • Create hard link between sfile1file and link1file, run: ln sfile1file link1file.
  • To make symbolic links instead of hard links, use: ln -s source link.
  • To verify soft or hard links on Linux, run: ls -l source link.

A symbolic link, also termed a soft link, is a special kind of file that points to another file, much like a shortcut in Windows or a Macintosh alias. Unlike a hard link, a symbolic link does not contain the data in the target file. It simply points to another entry somewhere in the file system.

rm and unlink commands to remove symbolic link. rm: is the terminal command to remove each given file including symbolic links. Because a symbolic link is considered as a file on Linux, you can delete it with the rm command.

To create a hard links on a Linux or Unix-like system:

  1. Create hard link between sfile1file and link1file, run: ln sfile1file link1file.
  2. To make symbolic links instead of hard links, use: ln -s source link.
  3. To verify soft or hard links on Linux, run: ls -l source link.

What is Soft Link And Hard Link In Linux? A symbolic or soft link is an actual link to the original file, whereas a hard link is a mirror copy of the original file. If you delete the original file, the soft link has no value, because it points to a non-existent file.

Photo in the article by “Wikimedia Commons” https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ejemplo_de_enlace_simb%C3%B3lico_roto_en_UNIX_y_GNU_Linux.jpg

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