What is a Symbolic Link?
Symbolic links are shortcuts to files or directories can be made in Linux. Unlike hard links, symbolic links use a symbolic name rather than a physical pointer to refer to the target file or directory. As a result, symbolic links can refer to files or directories on separate file systems and are unaffected by the moving or deleting the target file or directory.
How to create a Symbolic Link?
You can use the ln command’s -s option in Linux to create a symbolic link. The target file or directory’s path and the path of the symbolic link you want to make are the two arguments this command accepts. You can utilize the symbolic link after it has been created in Linux, just like any other file or directory.
The following is the syntax:
ln -s /path/to/target /path/to/link
In this command, the paths /path/to/target and /path/to/link represent the file or directory you want to link to and the symbolic link, respectively.
For instance, the following command can be used to create a symbolic link called mylink in the current directory that points to /path/to/target:
ln -s /path/to/target mylink
Overall, Linux’s symbolic links feature is a strong one that can improve how you handle your files and folders. You may quickly access your files and directories by making symbolic links rather than going through the complete file system each time.
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