Links in Unix Operating System | Soft and Hard Links
A Link in UNIX is a pointer to a file. Like pointers in any programming languages, links in UNIX are pointers pointing to a file or a directory. Creating links is a kind of shortcuts to access a file. Links allow more than one file name to refer to the same file, elsewhere.
There are two types of links :
1. Soft Link or Symbolic links
2. Hard Links
These links behave differently when the source of the link (what is being linked to) is moved or removed. Soft Links are not updated (they merely contain a string which is the path name of its target); hard links always refer to the source, even if moved or removed.