readlink

Print the target of a symbolic link

$ readlink [symlink]

$ readlink -f [path]

$ readlink -e [path]

$ readlink -m [path]

$ readlink -f [path1] [path2]

readlink [option]... file...

readlink prints the value of a symbolic link or the canonical path of a file. Without options, it displays the immediate target of a symlink (one level only).
The canonicalize options (-f, -e, -m) resolve the complete path by following all symbolic links, resolving references to /./ and /../, and returning an absolute pathname. The difference is how they handle non-existent components:
- -f: All components except the last must exist
- -e: All components must exist (strictest)
- -m: No existence requirements (most permissive)
This is commonly used in scripts to find the real location of files or to get absolute paths from relative ones.

-f, --canonicalize

Canonicalize by following every symlink recursively; all components must exist

Canonicalize, but all components must exist

Canonicalize without requiring components to exist

Do not output trailing newline

Suppress error messages

Suppress error messages (same as -q)

Report error messages

End each output line with NUL, not newline

Display help and exit

Output version information and exit

Without canonicalize options, readlink only shows the immediate symlink target. For chained symlinks, use -f to resolve the final target.
On macOS, readlink behaves differently and may lack GNU options. Use greadlink from coreutils or realpath for portable canonicalization.
For scripts needing portability, consider realpath which is POSIX-specified, though not universally available.

ln(1), realpath(1), stat(1), ls(1)