Understanding the ‘ln’ Command: A Guide to Creating and Managing Links on Linux

The ln command is a powerful tool for creating and managing links on a Linux system. Links, also known as symbolic or soft links, provide a way to create multiple references to a single file or directory without duplicating the data. This can be useful in a variety of situations, such as creating a shortcut to a frequently used file or linking to a shared library.

When to use the ln command

• Creating a shortcut to a frequently used file or directory
• Linking to a shared library
• Creating multiple references to a single file or directory
• Creating a link to a file or directory on a different file system

The basic syntax for the ln command is:

Here are some examples of how to use the ln command:

1. Create a symbolic link to a file

This creates a symbolic link to /path/to/file.txt on the desktop with the name file_link.txt.

2. Create a hard link to a file

This creates a hard link to /path/to/file.txt on the desktop with the name file_link.txt.

3. Create a symbolic link to a directory

This creates a symbolic link to /path/to/folder on the desktop with the name folder_link.

4. List all links of a file

This will list all the links of the file.txt including the original file and the links.

The ln command is a versatile tool that can be used in a variety of ways to manage links on a Linux system. Whether you’re creating a shortcut to a frequently used file or linking to a shared library, the ln command makes it easy to create and manage links with just a few simple commands. With the examples above you can create and manage links effectively on your Linux system.

See our list of 75 Linux commands you should know about.