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How to create a link to an existing file or directory using a GNU Linux shell command?

You can create a link in GNU/Linux with the ln command. There are two main types of links:

  1. Hard Link

    • Points directly to the same data on disk as the original file.
    • Both names share identical inode information, so deleting one name does not remove the actual data if the other still exists.
    • Cannot link directories with a hard link (except in unusual circumstances or with special filesystem support).
    ln /path/to/original_file /path/to/hard_link

  2. Symbolic Link (Soft Link)

    • Stores a reference (path) to the target file or directory.
    • Deleting the original file breaks the symlink.
    • Can link directories this way (and files too).
    ln -s /path/to/original /path/to/symlink
    • -s: Indicates creation of a symbolic (soft) link.

Examples

  1. Linking a File

    # Hard link
ln myfile.txt myfile_link.txt

# Symbolic link
ln -s myfile.txt myfile_symlink.txt

  2. Linking a Directory
    Hard links to directories are typically unsupported on most filesystems, but a symbolic link works fine:

    ln -s /path/to/original_dir /path/to/dir_symlink

  3. Overwriting Existing Links
    If a link with the same name already exists, you can use -f to force overwriting:

    ln -sf /new/target /existing/symlink_name

  4. Relative vs. Absolute Paths

    • Using absolute paths (/full/path/...) ensures the link remains valid even if you move your symlink’s parent folder around.
    • Using relative paths is useful if you keep both items in the same directory or a known structure and want the link to remain valid if the entire folder is moved together.

Recommended Resource

To hone your overall engineering skills (beyond just linking files in Linux), consider this course from DesignGurus.io:

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