What is Symbolic Link

A symbolic link, also known as a symlink, is a type of file that acts as a pointer to another file or directory in the file system. It is a file that contains a reference to the location of another file or directory on the same or different file system. Unlike a hard link, which points directly to the physical location of a file or directory, a symbolic link points to the path or location of the file or directory, enabling you to access it as if it were in the original location. Symbolic links are often used to create shortcuts to files or directories, or to provide access to files or directories in a different location without having to physically move them. They are widely used in Unix-based systems and are supported by most modern operating systems.

How to Use Symbolic Link

Here are some examples of how to use symbolic links:

Creating a symbolic link to a file

To create a symbolic link to a file, use the ln -s command followed by the path to the original file and the path to the symbolic link file. For example, to create a symbolic link to a file named file.txt located in the directory /home/user/documents/, you can use the following command:

$ ln -s /home/user/documents/file.txt /home/user/desktop/file-link.txt

This will create a symbolic link to the file.txt in the documents directory, and place it on the desktop as file-link.txt. Now you can access the file by simply clicking on the symbolic link.

Creating a symbolic link to a directory

To create a symbolic link to a directory, use the ln -s command followed by the path to the original directory and the path to the symbolic link directory. For example, to create a symbolic link to a directory named photos located in the directory /home/user/documents/, you can use the following command:

$ ln -s /home/user/documents/photos /home/user/desktop/photos-link

This will create a symbolic link to the photos directory in the documents directory, and place it on the desktop as photos-link. Now you can access the contents of the directory by simply clicking on the symbolic link.

Using symbolic links to provide access to shared resources

Symbolic links can also be used to provide access to shared resources on a network. For example, if you have a shared directory named shared located on a remote server, you can create a symbolic link to it on your local machine using the ln -s command:

$ ln -s /mnt/shared /home/user/shared

This will create a symbolic link to the shared directory on the remote server, and place it in your home directory as shared. Now you can access the shared directory as if it were on your local machine.