Explaining the Difference Between Soft Link and Hard Link in Unix/Linux Filesystem

In Unix/Linux filesystem, both soft links (symbolic links) and hard links provide mechanisms to reference a file or directory. However, there are distinct differences between the two:

Hard Links:

• Hard links are direct pointers to the inode of a file or directory.
• They share the same inode number and data blocks as the original file.
• Changes made to the original file are reflected in all hard links.
• Removing the original file does not affect hard links as they point directly to the inode.

Soft Links (Symbolic Links):

• Soft links are indirect pointers to the original file or directory.
• They have their own inode number and data blocks.
• If the original file is moved or removed, the soft link becomes broken.
• Soft links can point to files or directories on different filesystems.

Understanding the differences between soft links and hard links in Unix/Linux filesystem is crucial for efficient file management and system operations.