ln

Updated: September 28, 2024

Links come in several forms. Target must exist when the link is made.

USE CASES

ln "~/megadot/mac/.zshrc ~                      # hard link
ln -sv “~/.dotfiles/runcom/.bash_profile” ~     # soft link (symlink)
    -s      # create a symbolic link
    -v      # show files as they are created (verbose)
    -f      # If the target file already exists, then unlink it so that the link may occur.
    -r      # relative symbolic link

Hard Link

• direct link to a file
• shares the same inode as original
• remains intact even when original is deleted or moved
• keeps permissions of original and changes on it will affect original

Soft Link

• reference to a file (shortcut)
• separate inode from original
• link breaks if original is deleted or moved
• has its own permissions and does not affect original in amy way

Bind Mount

• mounts filesystem to a different location
• preserves structure, permissions and attributes
• helps to bypass chroot issues