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Creating and Managing Links (Hard and Soft Links)

In Linux, links allow files to be referenced or accessed in multiple places in the file system without duplicating the file itself. There are two types of links: hard links and soft (symbolic) links. Both have different characteristics, and understanding when to use each type is important for efficient file management and system organization.

A link in Linux is a way to create references to files. A link does not duplicate the actual file's content but creates a pointer to the original file. This allows you to access the file from different locations in the file system.

There are two types of links:

  • Hard Links
  • Soft (Symbolic) Links

A hard link is a direct reference to a file’s inode. In Linux, each file is stored with an inode, which is a data structure that contains the file's metadata (e.g., owner, permissions, location on disk). When you create a hard link, you are essentially creating another name for the same inode. Both the original file and the hard link point to the same inode and thus the same data.

  • A hard link points directly to the file’s inode.
  • Hard links cannot be created for directories (except for the . and .. directories).
  • Deleting the original file will not remove the file's data if there are still hard links pointing to the inode.
  • Hard links must be on the same file system as the original file.

You can create a hard link using the ln command. The syntax is:

ln [original-file] [link-name]

Let’s say you have a file called file1.txt:

$ echo "This is a test file." > file1.txt
$ cat file1.txt
This is a test file.

Now, create a hard link to file1.txt named link1.txt:

$ ln file1.txt link1.txt
  • file1.txt and link1.txt now point to the same inode.
  • You can verify this by checking the inode of both files:
$ ls -i file1.txt link1.txt
1234567 file1.txt
1234567 link1.txt

Both files have the same inode number, meaning they refer to the same file.

  • Modifying either file (e.g., file1.txt or link1.txt) will modify the same content, as they are just different names for the same data.
$ echo "This is an update to the file." >> file1.txt
$ cat link1.txt
This is a test file.
This is an update to the file.

As expected, both files display the same content, because they are the same file.

  • Deleting either file will not delete the data as long as the other file still exists:
$ rm file1.txt
$ cat link1.txt
This is a test file.
This is an update to the file.

The data remains accessible through link1.txt.

A soft link (also known as a symbolic link) is a reference to the original file by its path. Unlike hard links, a symbolic link does not point to the inode directly but to the file name in the file system. Symbolic links are similar to shortcuts in Windows or aliases in macOS.

  • A symbolic link points to the file by its pathname.
  • Symbolic links can point to directories as well as files.
  • If the original file is deleted, the symbolic link becomes broken (or dangling) because it points to a non-existent file.
  • Symbolic links can span across different file systems.

You can create a symbolic link using the ln -s command. The syntax is:

ln -s [original-file] [link-name]

Let’s create a symbolic link for file1.txt named softlink.txt:

$ ln -s file1.txt softlink.txt
  • Now, softlink.txt is a symbolic link that points to file1.txt.
  • You can verify this with ls -l:
$ ls -l softlink.txt
lrwxrwxrwx 1 user1 user1 9 Feb 1 12:00 softlink.txt -> file1.txt

The l at the beginning of the permissions (lrwxrwxrwx) indicates that it is a symbolic link. The arrow (->) shows that softlink.txt points to file1.txt.

  • Modifying the content of the original file will also be reflected in the symbolic link, just like hard links:
$ echo "Adding more content to file1." >> file1.txt
$ cat softlink.txt
This is a test file.
This is an update to the file.
Adding more content to file1.

Both the symbolic link and the original file show the same content.

  • Deleting the original file will break the symbolic link:
$ rm file1.txt
$ cat softlink.txt
cat: softlink.txt: No such file or directory

Since file1.txt is deleted, softlink.txt is now broken, and you get an error when trying to access it.

FeatureHard LinkSymbolic Link
ReferencePoints directly to the inodePoints to the file name (path)
File TypeCannot link to directories (except . and ..)Can link to both files and directories
File SystemMust be within the same file systemCan span across different file systems
Deleting the OriginalData remains as long as there is at least one linkBecomes broken if the original file is deleted
CreationCannot create a hard link to directories (except . and ..)Can create symbolic links to directories
IdentificationIdentical inode numbers for the link and the original fileA separate inode number, identified by l in ls -l

Key Takeaways​

  • Hard links are direct references to a file’s inode, and both the original file and the hard link share the same inode. Deleting one will not delete the data as long as the other still exists.
  • Soft (symbolic) links point to the original file’s path and can link to both files and directories. However, if the original file is deleted, the symbolic link becomes broken.
  • Use hard links when you need multiple names for a file in the same file system and soft link when you need to link files across different file systems or want to link directories.
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