The ln command in Linux

The ln command in Linux is used to create hard or symbolic links to files or directories. A hard link creates a new name for a file or directory, pointing to the same index node (inode) in the file system. A symbolic link creates a new file that contains the path to the original file or directory.

What is the ln command for?

ln command syntax:

ln [options] source file/directory target file/directory

ln command options:

-s: create a symbolic link

-f: overwrite the target file/directory if it already exists

-v: output detailed information about the link creation process

Examples of using the ln command

Creating a hard link:

ln file1.txt file2.txt

This will create a hard link file2.txt , which will point to the same file as file1.txt .

Creating a symbolic link:

ln -s file1.txt file2.txt

This will create a symbolic link file2.txt which will point to file1.txt .

Creating a link to a directory:

ln -s /path/to/source_dir /path/to/target_dir

This will create a symbolic link to the source_dir directory in the target_dir directory.

Overwriting the target file/directory:

ln -f file1.txt file2.txt

This will create a hard link file2.txt on file1.txt even if file2.txt already exists.

Output of detailed information:

ln -v file1.txt file2.txt

This will create a hard link file2.txt on file1.txt and displays information about the link creation process.