What is the difference between a soft link and a hard l…

Symbolic link and hard link are two different ways of linking files in Linux.

1. Symbolic links: A symbolic link is a special file that points to another file or directory. It references the target file by its file path, similar to shortcuts in the Windows operating system. Symbolic links can span across different file systems and can link to a file or directory that does not exist. When the original file or directory is deleted, the symbolic link remains but points to a non-existent target file, at which point it is called a “broken link.” The file size of symbolic links only occupies one disk block.
2. Hard links: Hard links refer to the original file or directory by using the file’s index node (inode), both pointing to the same data block. Hard links can only link to files within the same file system and cannot link to directories. Even if the original file or directory is deleted, the corresponding hard links can still be accessed. The system will only truly release the file’s storage space when all hard links and the original file are deleted. The size of a hard-linked file is the same as the original file.

In conclusion, the main difference between symbolic links and hard links is:

1. Symbolic links point to the file path, while hard links reference the original file through the file’s index node.
2. Symbolic links can span across file systems, while hard links can only link to files within the same file system.
3. Symbolic links can point to a non-existing file or directory, while hard links must point to an already existing file.
4. When the original file is deleted, symbolic links still exist but point to a non-existing target file, while hard links can still access the content of the original file.
5. Symbolic links only take up one disk block, whereas hard links have the same file size as the original file.