What Is Softlink and Hardlink in Unix?
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A symbolic or soft link is an actual link to the original file, whereas a hard link is a mirror copy of the original file. … Even if you delete the original file, the hard link will still has the data of the original file. Because hard link acts as a mirror copy of the original file.

A hard link is a file that points to the same underlying inode, as another file. In case you delete one file, it removes one link to the underlying inode. Whereas a symbolic link (also known as soft link) is a link to another filename in the filesystem.

Commonly referred to as symbolic links, soft links link together non-regular and regular files. They can also span multiple filesystems. By definition, a soft link is not a standard file, but a special file that points to an existing file.

James H. Sterling

James H. Sterling

Environmental Science & Climate Journalist

James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.

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