Linux has two kinds of file system links: symbolic links and

hard links.

A symbolic link — also called a soft link or symlink —

resembles a Windows shortcut. A symlink is a little file

that contains the pathname of another object on the

filesystem: a file, a directory, a socket, and so on —

possibly even the pathname of another link. This pathname

can be absolute or relative. To make a symlink, use ln with

the -s option. Give the name of the target first, then the

name of the link.

# ln –s existing-file-name link-name

We can still edit the original file by opening the symbolic

link, and changes we make doing that will "stick." But if we

delete the symbolic link, it has no impact on the original

file at all. If we move or rename the original file, the

symbolic link is "broken," it continues to exist but it

points at nothing.

A hard link isn’t itself a file. Instead, it’s a directory

entry. It points to another file using the file’s inode

number. Means both have same inode number. Any changes to

the original file will get reflected in the link file also

as both are same.

# ln existing-file-name link-name

To give a file more than one name or to make the same file

appear in multiple directories, you can make links to that

file instead of copying it. One advantage of this is that a

link takes little or even no disk space. Another is that, if

you edit the target of the link, those changes can be seen

immediately through the link.