For everyone who is new to the world of Linux, understanding hard links can be a challenging task. But worry not, as this blog post will guide you through what a hard link is and how you can create one in Linux.
Understanding Hard Links
A hard link is essentially an additional name for an existing file on Linux or any Unix-like operating system. A hard link can be used to create pointers or shortcuts to the original file. Any changes made to the data in either the original file or the hard link will reflect in both places, as they point to the same inode (the data structure used to represent a filesystem object).
Creating a Hard Link in Linux
Creating a hard link in Linux is quite simple. You can do it using the ln command in the terminal. The ln command requires two arguments: the original file and the hard link’s name.
Here’s how you do it:
ln original_file hard_link
In the command above, replace original_file with the name of your original file and hard_link with the name you want for your hard link.
Verifying a Hard Link
After creating a hard link, you might want to verify it. You can do this using the ls -l command, which lists your files and their details. The second field in the output refers to the number of hard links associated with the file.
ls -l
Deleting a Hard Link
If you want to delete a hard link, use the rm command followed by the name of the hard link. It’s important to remember that removing a hard link does not affect the original file.
rm hard_link
Conclusion
And that’s it! You now know what a hard link is and how to create, verify, and delete one in Linux. Remember, practice makes perfect. The more you use these commands, the more comfortable you’ll get. Happy Linuxing!
