Master Linux File Linking: Hard & Symbolic Links Explained with Real Examples

Software Help Text

Usage: ln [OPTION]... [-T] TARGET LINK_NAME
   or:  ln [OPTION]... TARGET
   or:  ln [OPTION]... TARGET... DIRECTORY
   or:  ln [OPTION]... -t DIRECTORY TARGET...
In the 1st form, create a link to TARGET with the name LINK_NAME.
In the 2nd form, create a link to TARGET in the current directory.
In the 3rd and 4th forms, create links to each TARGET in DIRECTORY.
Create hard links by default, symbolic links with --symbolic.
By default, each destination (name of new link) should not already exist.
When creating hard links, each TARGET must exist. Symbolic links can hold arbitrary text; if later resolved, a relative link is interpreted in relation to its parent directory.
--backup[=CONTROL]    create a backup of each existing target file
-b                    same as --backup but takes no argument
-d, -F, --directory   create a hard link to a directory (super‑user only)
-f, --force           force removal of any existing target file
-i, --interactive     prompt whether to remove destinations
-L, --logical         dereference TARGETs that are symbolic links
-n, --no-dereference  treat LINK_NAME as a normal file if it is a symbolic link to a directory
-P, --physical        make hard links directly to symbolic links
-r, --relative        create symbolic links relative to link location
-s, --symbolic        make symbolic links instead of hard links
-S, --suffix=SUFFIX   override the usual backup suffix
-t, --target-directory=DIRECTORY  specify the DIRECTORY in which to create the links
-T, --no-target-directory  treat LINK_NAME as a normal file always
-v, --verbose         print name of each linked file
--help                display this help and exit
--version             output version information and exit

Common Link Commands

Create Hard and Soft Links

Hard link : Allows a file to have multiple valid path names, useful for protecting important files from accidental deletion. ln [source_file] [link_file] Soft (symbolic) link : Similar to a Windows shortcut; it stores the path to another file.

ln -s [source_file] [link_file]

Examples

Prerequisite

[root@Servera test]# pwd
/var/test
[root@Servera test]# tree
.
├── soft_link
└── testFiles
    └── 1.txt

Hard Link

[root@Servera test]# ln testFiles/1.txt 2.txt
[root@Servera test]# tree
.
├── 2.txt
├── soft_link
└── testFiles
    └── 1.txt

Soft Link

[root@Servera test]# ln -s testFiles/1.txt soft_link/3.txt
[root@Servera test]# tree
.
├── 2.txt
├── soft_link
│   └── 3.txt -> testFiles/1.txt
└── testFiles
    └── 1.txt

Modify Soft Link

[root@Servera test]# ln -snf testFiles/10.txt soft_link/3.txt
[root@Servera test]# tree
.
├── 2.txt
├── soft_link
│   └── 3.txt -> testFiles/10.txt
└── testFiles
    ├── 10.txt
    └── 1.txt

Delete Soft Link

[root@Servera test]# rm soft_link/3.txt
rm: remove symbolic link 'soft_link/3.txt'? yes
[root@Servera test]# tree
.
├── 2.txt
├── soft_link
└── testFiles
    ├── 10.txt
    └── 1.txt