What is the difference between a soft link and a hard link in Linux?

Understanding the Difference Between Soft Links and Hard Links in Linux

Soft Link (Symbolic Link):

• A soft link, also known as a symbolic link, is a pointer to the original file or directory.
• It is similar to a shortcut in Windows and is represented by a different inode number.
• If the original file is deleted, the soft link will be broken.
• You can create a soft link to files on different file systems.

Hard Link:

• A hard link is a direct link to the original file or directory and shares the same inode number.
• If the original file is deleted, the hard link will still retain the data as it points directly to the inode.
• Hard links can only be created for files within the same file system.

When considering linking in Linux, remember that soft links are more commonly used due to their versatility, while hard links provide a direct connection to the data on the file system.

Understanding the differences between soft links and hard links can help you effectively manage your files and directories in Linux.