Soft Link vs Hard Link in Linux
Soft link and hard link are two types of links used in Linux to create shortcuts to files or directories.
1. Soft Link:
A soft link, also known as a symbolic link, is a pointer to the original file or directory. It acts as a shortcut that points to the target file or directory using the path name. If the original file is deleted, the soft link will be broken.
ln -s target_file soft_link_name
2. Hard Link:
A hard link is a direct link to the physical location of the file on the disk. Unlike soft links, hard links point directly to the inode of the original file. If the original file is deleted, the hard link will still be accessible as it points to the actual data on the disk.
ln target_file hard_link_name
It is important to note that hard links cannot span across different filesystems, while soft links can.
Understanding the differences between soft links and hard links is crucial for Linux system administrators to efficiently manage files and directories.
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