LinuxCommandLibrary

ln

creates links between files

TLDR

Create symbolic link

$ ln -s [target] [linkname]
copy
Create hard link
$ ln [target] [linkname]
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Create symbolic link (force overwrite)
$ ln -sf [target] [linkname]
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Create link in directory
$ ln -s [target] [directory/]
copy
Create relative symbolic link
$ ln -sr [target] [linkname]
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Verbose output
$ ln -sv [target] [linkname]
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SYNOPSIS

ln [options] target linkname

DESCRIPTION

ln creates links between files. Hard links share the same inode; symbolic links are references.
Symbolic links can span filesystems and link to directories. Hard links cannot.

PARAMETERS

TARGET

File or directory to link to.
LINKNAME
Name for the link.
-s
Create symbolic (soft) link.
-f
Force, overwrite existing.
-r
Create relative symbolic link.
-v
Verbose output.
-n
Don't dereference symlinks.
--help
Display help information.

CAVEATS

Hard links cannot cross filesystems. Symbolic links can break if target moves. Directory hard links not allowed.

HISTORY

ln is a traditional Unix command dating back to the original Unix system for creating links between files.

SEE ALSO

link(1), unlink(1), readlink(1), symlink(7)

> TERMINAL_GEAR

Curated for the Linux community

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> TERMINAL_GEAR

Curated for the Linux community