Linux make symbolic link folder to folder

How to Create Symbolic Links in Linux

Learning Linux symbolic commands is a great way of improving your potential in the Linux terminal. In this tutorial, we’ll cover a few commands to learn symbolic links in a quick and easy way. Before we begin, let’s overview what are symbolic links.

What are Linux Symbolic Links

Symbolic Links are not only helpful in creating shortcuts and file management in operating systems like Linux. They also serve as a way to create various locations for primary user folders, for instance, Documents, Pictures, Downloads, and much more!

Symbolic Links act like a string creating pathways for different files, folders, and directories in the computer system. They are capable of creating and storing multiple files in different places refer to one single file. Thus, increasing efficiency by locating all the specific documents in one command.

These links are stored in the mainframe, so even if the original file is deleted, you’ll have a backup for most of the important files. Symbolic links help create invalid link pathways to store pieces of information as per the requirement of the user.

Due to the user-friendly features in Linux, even Microsoft is following it to create Symbolic Links. Symbolic links, also known as Soft links or Symlinks, are not unique to Linux but they are just like a Search option in Windows where one can search a specific file or directory in a disk by executing various commands.

How to Create Symbolic Links in Linux?

Let’s look at how you can create file and folder links in Linux:

Create Symbolik Link in Linux for Files

Generally, to create links use we use the ln command and the -s option to specify Symbolic links. This is the easiest way to ensure a flexible approach that allows experimenting with the language as much as possible. There is nothing hard in creating Symbolic links in Linux – you just need to follow one simple step.

The ln command in Linux creates links between source files and directories.

• -s – the command for Symbolic Links.
• [target file] – name of the existing file for which you are creating the link
• [Symbolic filename] – name of the symbolic link.

Created links can be verified by directory listing using detailed list command:

However, if you do not specify the [Symbolic filename], the command will automatically create a new link in the existing directory.

Create Symbolic Link in Linux for Folders

Creating symbolic links for folders is not difficult either. The command used to create the folder symbolic link is:

For example, to link the /user/local/downloads/logo directory to /devisers folder, use the following command:

Once a Symbolic link is created and attached to the folder /devisers, it will lead to /user/local/downloads/logo. When the user changes directory – cd – to /devisers, the system will automatically change to the specific file and write it in the command directory.

Symbolic link options are called command line switches. Here are the most common ones and their descriptions:

Command Switch	Description
–backup[=CONTROL]	backup each existing destination file
-d, -F, –directory	superuser is allowed to attempt hard link
-f, –force	existing destination file is removed
-I, –interactive	prompt before removing destination files
-L, –logical	deference targets that are symbolic links
-n, –non-dereference	symbolic links to directory are treated as files
-P, –physical	make hard links directly to symbolic links
-r, –relative	create symbolic links relative to link location
-s, –symbol	make symbolic links instead of hard links
-S, –suffix=SUFFIX	override usual backup suffix
-v, –verbose	print name of each linked file

How to Change or Remove Symbolic Link in Linux?

You can remove existing links attached to files or directories by the unlink or rm command. This is how you can do it with the unlink command:

Removing symbolic link using the rm command is similar to the unlink command which is as under:

Wrapping up

Remember, if the source is no longer in the current location, then you should delete the symbolic files to avoid creating duplicates, which might slow down your work.

Linux is a wonderful platform for creating an interactive and dynamic application, where you can experiment and innovate. A strong foundation is critical. Learn the basic of the language thoroughly to use it to its full potential. We hope this tutorial helped you improve your skills with another useful tool!

Edward is an expert communicator with years of experience in IT as a writer, marketer, and Linux enthusiast. IT is a core pillar of his life, personal and professional. Edward’s goal is to encourage millions to achieve an impactful online presence. He also really loves dogs, guitars, and everything related to space.

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Symlink Tutorial in Linux – How to Create and Remove a Symbolic Link

A symlink (also called a symbolic link) is a type of file in Linux that points to another file or a folder on your computer. Symlinks are similar to shortcuts in Windows.

Some people call symlinks «soft links» – a type of link in Linux/UNIX systems – as opposed to «hard links.»

Difference Between a Soft Link and a Hard Link

Soft links are similar to shortcuts, and can point to another file or directory in any file system.

Hard links are also shortcuts for files and folders, but a hard link cannot be created for a folder or file in a different file system.

Let’s look at the steps involved in creating and removing a symlink. We’ll also see what broken links are, and how to delete them.

How to Create a Symlink

The syntax for creating a symlink is:

ln is the link command. The -s flag specifies that the link should be soft. -s can also be entered as -symbolic .

By default, ln command creates hard links. The next argument is path to the file (or folder) that you want to link. (That is, the file or folder you want to create a shortcut for.)

And the last argument is the path to link itself (the shortcut).

How to Create a Symlink for a File – Example Command

After running this command, you will be able to access the /home/james/transactions.txt with trans.txt . Any modification to trans.txt will also be reflected in the original file.

Note that this command above would create the link file trans.txt in your current directory. You can as well create a linked file in a folder link this:

There must be a directory already called «my-stuffs» in your current directory – if not the command will throw an error.

How to Create a Symlink for a Folder – Example Command

Similar to above, we’d use:

This would create a symlinked folder called ‘james’ which would contain the contents of /home/james . Any changes to this linked folder will also affect the original folder.

How to remove a symlink

Before you’d want to remove a symlink, you may want to confirm that a file or folder is a symlink, so that you do not tamper with your files.

One way to do this is:

Running this command on your terminal will display the properties of the file. In the result, if the first character is a small letter L (‘l’), it means the file/folder is a symlink.

You’d also see an arrow (->) at the end indicating the file/folder the simlink is pointing to.

There are two methods to remove a symlink:

How to Use Unlink to Remove a Symlink

This deletes the symlink if the process is successful.

Even if the symlink is in the form of a folder, do not append ‘/’, because Linux will assume it’s a directory and unlink can’t delete directories.

How to use rm to Remove a Symlink

As we’ve seen, a symlink is just another file or folder pointing to an original file or folder. To remove that relationship, you can remove the linked file.

Hence, the syntax is:

Note that trying to do rm james/ would result an error, because Linux will assume ‘james/’ is a directory, which would require other options like r and f . But that’s not what we want. A symlink may be a folder, but we are only concerned with the name.

The main benefit of rm over unlink is that you can remove multiple symlinks at once, like you can with files.

How to Find and Delete Broken Links

Broken links occur when the file or folder that a symlink points to changes path or is deleted.

For example, if ‘transactions.txt’ moves from /home/james to /home/james/personal , the ‘trans.txt’ link becomes broken. Every attempt to access to the file will result in a ‘No such file or directory’ error. This is because the link has no contents of its own.

When you discover broken links, you can easily delete the file. An easy way to find broken symlinks is:

This will list all broken symlinks in the james directory – from files to directories to sub-directories.

Passing the -delete option will delete them like so:

Wrapping up

Symbolic link are an interesting feature of Linux and UNIX systems.

You can create easily accessible symlinks to refer to a file or folder that would otherwise not be convenient to access. With some practice, you will understand how these work on an intuitive level, and they will make you much more efficient at managing file systems.

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linux-notes.org

Хотелось бы рассказать как можно создавать ссылки (симлинки) в ОС Unix/Linux. В своей теме «Создание ссылок (symlink) в Unix/Linux» я на готовом примере покажу как это делается. Существуют несколько видов ссылок, и я расскажу в чем разница между ними.

Симлинк или мягкая ссылка представляет собой особый тип файла, который содержит ссылку на другой файл или каталог в виде абсолютного или относительного пути.

Жёсткой ссылкой — это структурная составляющая файла которая описывает его элемент каталога.

Создание ссылок (symlink) в Unix/Linux

В этом подразделе, я расскажу какие бывают симлинки и в чем они отличаются.

Мягкая ссылка (Soft link):

1. Мягкие ссылки используют различные номера инод чем основные файлы.
2. Мягкие ссылки становится полезными, если исходный файл был удален.
3. Мягкие ссылки могут быть созданы из каталогов.
4. Мягкая ссылка может быть создана на пересечении файловых систем.

Для того чтобы создать симлинк в линукс используется следующая команда:

И так, я создал симлинк linux-notes.org.conf на на тот же файл но который будет расположен в другой директории. После создания симлинка, необходимо сменить права на него:

Для проверки номера иноды:

Я создал симлинк на файл, так же, можно создавать симлинка на целую папку, для этого используйте:

И так, я создал симлинк symlink-to-opt-dir на папку /opt/directory. После создания симлинка, необходимо сменить права на него:

Вот и все, очень просто, и полезно.

Для проверки номера иноды:

Чтобы удалить, используйте:

И аналогично для каталогов.

Если вы удалите мягкую ссылку (/home/captain/linux-notes.org-softlink.txt), то сам файл данных будет по-прежнему находится там же (/home/captain/linux-notes.org.txt). Тем не менее, если вы удалите /home/captain/linux-notes.org.txt, то /home/captain/linux-notes.org-softlink.txt станет сломанной ссылкой и данные будут потеряны.

Жесткие ссылки (Hard Links):

1. Жесткие ссылки использует тот же номер иноды что и основные файлы.
2. Нельзя создать жесткие ссылки на каталоги.
3. Жесткие ссылки не могут быть созданы на пересечении файловых систем.
4. Жесткие ссылки всегда относится к источнику, даже если они перемещаются или удаляется.

Чтобы создать «жесткую ссылку», используйте:

Проверяем номер иноды:

Оба файла имеют одинаковые иноды (одинаковое количество индексных дескрипторов). Если нужно удалить «жесткую ссылку», то используйте команду:

Если вы удалите жесткую ссылку, ваши данные будут там. Если вы удалите /home/captain/linux-notes.org.txt то файл будет по-прежнему доступен через жесткую ссылку

Жесткие ссылки (Hardlink) vs Мягкие ссылки (Softlink) в UNIX/Linux

• Как я говорил ранее, жесткие ссылки не могут быть созданы для директорий.
• Жесткие ссылки не могут использоваться на пересечении границ файловых систем ( Нельзя создать сылку /tmp и примонтированную на /tmp ко 2-му HDD который смонтирован на/harddisk2).
• Символические ссылки (мягкие ссылки) ссылаются на символичный путь с указанием абстрактного расположение другого файла.
• Жесткие ссылки, ссылаются к определенному местоположению физических данных.

На этом, моя тема «Создание ссылок (symlink) в Unix/Linux» завершена. Не сильно сложная тема, но очень полезная.

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How to create symbolic links in Ubuntu

What are the types of symbolic links in Ubuntu

• Soft Link: A soft link or symbolic link refers to the original file’s location or path. On the internet, it functions similarly to a hyperlink.
• Hard Link: A hard link works by generating a new filename related to the original file’s inode data (reference file). This is equivalent to making a copy of the specific file.

Want to create symbolic links? In this article, we will explain how you can create symbolic links in Ubuntu. So let’s start!

How to create a symbolic link for a directory in Ubuntu

Ubuntu users utilize the “ln” command for creating symbolic links in their system. This command creates hard links by default. However, you can add the “-s” or the “–symbolic” option if you want to create a soft link.

Now, check out the syntax of the “ln” command:

To follow up the procedure of creating a symbolic link using the “ln” command, firstly, open your Ubuntu terminal by pressing “CTRL+ALT+T”. We will utilize the “ln” command for creating a symbolic link to any specific directory. Adding the “-s” option indicates that a soft link will be created for the specified directory. Here is the syntax of the “ln” command:

We will execute the below-given command to create a soft symbolic link for the “Download” folder. This command will save the symbolic link to our “Desktop”:

The error-free output declares that the symbolic link for the “Download” folder is successfully created. We will open our “Desktop” directory using Ubuntu UI to check the existence of the “Download” symbolic link:

How to create a symbolic link for a file in Ubuntu

In this section, we will show how you can create a symbolic link for a specific file. The below-given image has a highlighted “testfile” that’s because now we will create a symbolic link for this “testfile”:

If you want to create a symbolic link for a file, then check out the syntax of the “ln” command:

As we have shown you, we have selected our “testfile” for creating a symbolic link. This “testfile” is a text file located in our home directory. To create a symbolic link for this “testfile”, we will write out this command in our Ubuntu terminal:

The execution of the above-given command will create a symbolic link named “testfilelink” of the “testfile”. The symbolic link will be saved at the location of the source file:

You can execute the “ls” command to verify the presence of the created symbolic link:

From the output, you can see that symbolic link “testfilelink” is created, and both of the files are present in the home directory:

Ubuntu UI can also show you the created symbolic link file located in the system home directory:

How to overwrite a symbolic link in Ubuntu

We have already created a symbolic link “testfilelink” for the “testfile“. So, when you execute the below-given command again in your Ubuntu terminal, it will show you a “failed to create symbolic link” error:

Add the “-f” option in the “ln” command to overwrite the already created symbolic link forcefully:

How to remove symbolic link in Ubuntu

The symbolic link becomes unusable if you remove the source file or transfer it to another location. In that case, you can delete the symbolic link by using two commands: The “rm” and “unlink” commands.

First, check out the syntax of the rm command that we are going to utilize for deleting the symbolic link:

Now, we will execute the below-given “rm” to remove or delete the “Download” symbolic link:

However, if the symbolic link is present inside your current working directory, you only specify its name in the “unlink” or “rm” command. Write out the below-given “unlink” command to delete the “testfilelink” symbolic link:

Now, you can execute the “ls” command to verify that the symbolic link is deleted or not:

How to find and delete broken symbolic links in Ubuntu

Ubuntu also provides you the facility to find and delete the broken symbolic link on the system. To do so, we will utilize the “find” command, having the following syntax:

Here, “-xtype” is used to define the type of file we are searching for, and “l” denotes that we are looking for the broken symbolic links:

The output of the above-given command will show you the broken symbolic link present in the specified directory:

You can also add the “-delete” parameter to delete those broken symbolic links from your home directory:

Conclusion

Symbolic links are a unique feature of Linux-based operating systems like Ubuntu. Symbolic links are used to create shortcuts to the Linux files system. Ubuntu users utilize the “ln” command for creating symbolic links. We have explained how you can create symbolic links in Ubuntu using the “ln” command. Moreover, we have also provided you the method to overwrite, find, and delete symbolic links in your system.

About the author

Sharqa Hameed

I am a Linux enthusiast, I love to read Every Linux blog on the internet. I hold masters degree in computer science and am passionate about learning and teaching.

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