For most Unix users, symbolic links are obvious and natural — a means to make connections that span file systems and avoid the need to keep duplicates of files in multiple file system locations.

A symlink or "symbolic link" is a Linux file that simply points at another file. If the referenced file is removed, the symlink will remain but not indicate there's a problem until you try to use it.

Symbolic and hard links provide a way to avoid duplicating data on Unix/Linux systems, but the uses and restrictions vary depending on which kind of link you choose to use. Let’s look at how links can ...