Linux

Hard Links and Symbolic Links in Linux

Two names, one file — Linux links let you reference files from multiple locations. Understand the difference between hard links and symlinks, and when to use each.

January 16, 20257 min read

LinuxFilesystemLinks

Linux filesystems separate a file's name (directory entry) from its data (inode). A link is just another name pointing to the same data. There are two kinds:

Hard link — a second directory entry pointing to the same inode (data block)
Symbolic link (symlink) — a file that contains a path pointing to another file

Understanding this distinction explains many behaviours that seem strange at first.

Hard Links vs Symbolic Links

Hard Link vs Symbolic Link Comparison

Feature	Hard Link	Symbolic Link
Command	`ln file link`	`ln -s file link`
Points to	Same inode (data)	A file path
Cross filesystems	❌ No	✅ Yes
Link directories	❌ No	✅ Yes
Original deleted	✅ Data still accessible	❌ Link breaks (dangling)
Shows in `ls -l`	`-` (same type as original)	`l` prefix + `→ target`
Size	Same as original	Tiny (just the path length)

Syntax

ln TARGET LINK_NAME          # Create a hard link
ln -s TARGET LINK_NAME       # Create a symbolic link (-s for symlink)

Hard Links in Practice

A hard link is a second directory entry for the same data. The "link count" in ls -l (the number after permissions) shows how many hard links point to the inode. Data is only freed when the link count reaches zero (all names deleted).

echo "Hello World" > original.txt
ln original.txt hardlink.txt

# Both refer to identical data
cat original.txt             # Hello World
cat hardlink.txt             # Hello World

# Modify through one — both see the change (same data!)
echo "More content" >> hardlink.txt
cat original.txt             # Hello World
More content

# Check they share the same inode
ls -li original.txt hardlink.txt
# 12345 -rw-r--r-- 2 sagar staff 22 ... original.txt
# 12345 -rw-r--r-- 2 sagar staff 22 ... hardlink.txt
#  ↑ Same inode               ↑ Link count = 2

# Delete original — hard link keeps the data alive!
rm original.txt
cat hardlink.txt             # Hello World
More content — still works!

Symbolic Links in Practice

A symlink stores a path. When you read through a symlink, the OS follows the path to find the real file. If the target moves or is deleted, the symlink becomes dangling (broken).

echo "Hello World" > original.txt
ln -s original.txt sym.txt

# Works normally
cat sym.txt                  # Hello World

# ls shows the link and its target
ls -l sym.txt
# lrwxrwxrwx 1 sagar staff 12 ... sym.txt -> original.txt
# ↑ 'l' for symlink

# Delete original — symlink breaks!
rm original.txt
cat sym.txt                  # cat: sym.txt: No such file or directory
# sym.txt is now a "dangling" symlink

# Find broken symlinks
find . -type l ! -exec test -e {} ; -print

# Symlinks can point to directories
ln -s /var/log ~/logs
ls ~/logs                    # Lists /var/log contents
cd ~/logs                    # Same as cd /var/log

Managing Links

# See where a symlink points
readlink sym.txt             # original.txt
readlink -f sym.txt          # /home/sagar/original.txt (full resolved path)

# Remove a link WITHOUT deleting the target
rm sym.txt                   # Only removes the link, not what it points to
unlink sym.txt               # Alternative command

# Common use cases for symlinks
ln -s python3.11 /usr/local/bin/python   # Version management
ln -s /var/www/html/mysite ~/site        # Quick access to deep directory
ln -s ~/dotfiles/.bashrc ~/.bashrc       # Dotfile management

When to Use Which

Use hard links when you want a true backup that survives deletion of the original name — useful for space-efficient backups (same data, multiple names). Use symbolic links for everything else — version management, shortcuts to directories, config file management (dotfiles), and any cross-filesystem link. Symlinks are far more common in practice.

Quick Check

You create a symlink: `ln -s /etc/nginx/nginx.conf ~/nginx.conf`. Then you edit `~/nginx.conf`. What actually gets modified?

Exercise

Experiment with both link types:

Hard link experiment:

Create echo "original" > file.txt
Create a hard link: ln file.txt hard.txt
Check the inode numbers are the same with ls -li
Delete file.txt and confirm hard.txt still works

Symlink experiment: 5. Recreate file.txt 6. Create a symlink: ln -s file.txt sym.txt 7. Run ls -l sym.txt — note the l prefix and the → arrow 8. Delete file.txt and try to read sym.txt — observe the broken link