ln Command

The ln command is used to create links for files. There are two types of links: hard links and symbolic links. The default link type is a hard link. To create a symbolic link, the -s option must be used. A symbolic link is not an independent file, as many of its attributes depend on the source file. Therefore, setting permissions for a symbolic link file is meaningless.

Syntax

ln [-bdfinsvF] [-S backup-suffix] [-V {numbered,existing,simple}] [--help] [...] [origin] [target]

Parameters

  • -b, --backup: Make a backup of the target file before overwriting it.
  • -d, -F, --directory: Create hard links for directories.
  • -f, --force: Force creation of file or directory links, regardless of whether the file or directory exists.
  • -i, --interactive: Prompt before overwriting an existing file.
  • -n, --no-dereference: Treat the target of a symbolic link as a normal file.
  • -s, --symbolic: Create a symbolic link for the source file, rather than a hard link.
  • -S <backup-suffix>, --suffix=<backup-suffix>: When using the -b option to backup the target file, the backup file will have a suffix added to its name. The default backup suffix is a tilde ~, which can be changed using the -S parameter.
  • -v, --verbose: Display the process of the command execution.
  • -V <backup method>, --version-control=<backup method>: When using the -b option to backup the target file, a suffix will be added to the backup file's name. This suffix can be changed using the -S parameter, and different backup methods specified with the -V parameter will result in different suffixes for the backup file.
  • --help: Display online help.
  • --version: Display version information.

Link Types

Symbolic Link

  • Symbolic links exist in the form of paths, similar to shortcuts in the Windows operating system.
  • Symbolic links can span file systems, which hard links cannot.
  • Symbolic links can link to a non-existent filename.
  • Symbolic links can link to directories.

Hard Link

  • Hard links exist as file copies but do not occupy actual space.
  • Creating hard links for directories is not allowed.
  • Hard links can only be created within the same file system.

Examples

Create a symbolic link filesoftlink for file.txt.

ln -s file.txt filesoftlink

Create a hard link filehardlink for file.txt.

ln file.txt filehardlink

Display version information.

ln --version

Daily Question

https://github.com/WindrunnerMax/EveryDay

References

https://man.linuxde.net/ln https://www.runoob.com/linux/linux-comm-ln.html https://www.tutorialspoint.com/unix_commands/ln.htm
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