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Use ln -s TARGET LINK_NAME to create a symbolic link on a Linux server. The target comes first; the new link name comes second. A symlink stores a pathname rather than file data, so it can redirect a file or an entire directory tree, become dangling when its target disappears, and be removed without deleting the target.
This guide shows how to create, inspect, switch, test, repair, and remove symlinks safely, including the choice between relative and absolute targets and the GNU-specific options commonly used in deployment scripts.
What a symbolic link is
A symbolic link, or symlink, is a filesystem directory entry containing a pathname to another file or directory. Programs normally follow that pathname when they access the link. The link itself does not contain a second copy of the target’s contents.
For example, a web server can read /srv/www/current while that name points to /srv/releases/app-2026.10. Changing the link can switch the active release without moving the release directory or changing every configuration file that refers to /srv/www/current.
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- A symlink can point to a regular file, directory, socket, or another pathname.
- The target may be relative or absolute.
- The target does not have to exist when the link is created. GNU Coreutils documents that dangling symbolic links are allowed.
- Deleting the link name is different from deleting the object it references.
Because a directory symlink can redirect every pathname below it, treat changes to links such as /srv/app, /var/www/current, or a service’s configuration path as control-plane changes. Check the destination before restarting a service or exposing the path to users.
Create a symbolic link
Link a file
Use this form:
ln -s TARGET LINK_NAMETo expose an Nginx site configuration through an enabled-directory name:
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/example.confThe first operand is the stored target pathname. The second operand is the directory entry that users and applications will open. Confirm the result before reloading Nginx:
ls -l /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/example.confTypical output begins with l, identifying a symbolic link, and shows an arrow to the target. The command creates a new link only; it does not copy the configuration file or alter the target’s permissions.
Link a directory
The syntax is the same for a directory:
ln -s /srv/releases/app-2026.10 /srv/appAfter this command, a request for /srv/app/logs is resolved through the release directory. The link does not merge the two directories: entries physically inside /srv/app are not stored there, and creating or deleting files through the link changes the target directory.
Before redirecting a production path, check the target’s owner, permissions, expected release contents, and the process that will follow the link. A typo in a directory link can expose the wrong subtree or cause a service to start with missing files.
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Linux permits a dangling link:
ln -s /srv/releases/app-2026.12 /srv/www/nextThis succeeds even if /srv/releases/app-2026.12 is absent. The link becomes usable when that exact pathname later resolves. A dangling link is therefore not necessarily a failed command; it may be an intentional placeholder, but production checks should distinguish it from a ready destination.
Choose a relative or absolute target
Absolute symlinks
An absolute target begins at the filesystem root, such as /srv/releases/app-2026.10:
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ln -s /srv/releases/app-2026.10 /srv/www/currentGNU Coreutils states that an absolute symlink always points to the same pathname even if the directory containing the link is moved. This makes the destination immediately readable and avoids calculating a path from the link’s parent directory.
The fixed pathname is also a limitation. If the same directory tree is mounted under another prefix, unpacked into a staging root, or exposed through a network filesystem with a different layout, the absolute link may point outside that tree or fail entirely.
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A relative target is interpreted from the directory that contains the link, not from the shell’s current working directory when another person later follows it. For example:
cd /srv/www/current-parent
ln -s ../releases/app-2026.10 currentIf the link is stored as /srv/www/current-parent/current, the target ../releases/app-2026.10 is resolved relative to /srv/www/current-parent. It therefore names /srv/www/releases/app-2026.10 in this example. Moving the whole parent tree while preserving that relationship can keep the link working.
Relative links are useful for portable application bundles, chroots, extracted artifacts, and trees that may be mounted under different prefixes. They require more care during creation because the same text can resolve to a different location when stored in a different directory.
Let GNU ln calculate a relative path
GNU ln supports --relative (also written -r) to calculate a relative target from canonicalized paths:
ln -s --relative /srv/releases/app-2026.10 /srv/www/currentUse this when you know the intended source and link locations but do not want to calculate the required sequence of ../ components manually. Confirm the resulting stored text with readlink; canonicalization can expose unexpected mount points, missing components, or path spelling differences.
Decision table
| Concern | Relative target | Absolute target |
|---|---|---|
| Moving the containing tree | Can continue to work when the link and target move together with the same relative layout. | Continues to use the original root-based pathname, even if the link’s parent moves. |
| Different mount or deployment prefix | Usually avoids dependence on the prefix outside the tree. | Can fail or resolve to the wrong tree when the prefix changes. |
| Human readability | Requires reasoning from the link’s parent directory. | Destination is explicit at a glance. |
| Creation risk | Easy to calculate from the wrong directory; use the link location or --relative. |
Less ambiguity during creation, but can encode an environment-specific path. |
| Common use | Self-contained releases, portable bundles, and relocatable trees. | Stable system paths and configurations whose root location is intentional. |
Inspect a link without following it accidentally
See the link and its stored text
Use ls -l for a human-readable listing:
ls -l /srv/www/currentUse readlink when you need the exact pathname stored in the link:
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readlink /srv/www/currentreadlink prints the link text. For a relative link, it prints the relative text; it does not automatically turn that text into an absolute destination.
Resolve the canonical destination
Use readlink -f or realpath when you need the resolved destination:
readlink -f /srv/www/current
realpath /srv/www/currentThese commands resolve path components and produce a canonical pathname. If canonicalization fails, a component may be missing, inaccessible, or part of a broken chain of links. That failure is useful evidence, but it does not tell you by itself whether the stored link text or a later component is at fault; inspect each component.
Distinguish a symlink from its target in scripts
The shell test -L checks whether a pathname is a symbolic link, including a dangling one. The test -e checks whether the pathname resolves to an existing object:
if test -L "$link"; then
printf 'link text: %sn' "$(readlink -- "$link")"
if test -e "$link"; then
printf 'target resolvesn'
else
printf 'dangling linkn' >&2
fi
fiUse -- before a user-controlled pathname so a name beginning with a hyphen is not interpreted as an option. Quote the variable so spaces, wildcard characters, and newlines in a pathname are not split or expanded by the shell.
Check a directory link before a service action
- Run
ls -ld LINK_NAMEto inspect the link entry itself rather than listing the target directory’s contents. - Run
readlink -- LINK_NAMEto record the stored target text. - Run
readlink -f -- LINK_NAMEorrealpath -- LINK_NAMEto verify the canonical destination. - Check ownership and permissions on every parent directory and on the resolved target.
- Only then reload or restart the service that consumes the path.
Change a symlink during a deployment
Why a plain second ln -s fails
By default, ln refuses to replace an existing destination. This protects an existing file or link from being silently overwritten. A release switch must therefore choose an explicit replacement policy.
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Inspect, replace, and verify
A controlled release switch can look like this:
readlink -f /srv/www/current || true
ln -sfn /srv/releases/app-2026.11 /srv/www/current
readlink -f /srv/www/currentThe first command records the current resolved release; || true allows the sequence to continue if the current link is dangling. The replacement command uses GNU options commonly used for this pattern: -s creates a symlink, -f removes an existing destination before creating the new link, and -n prevents a symlink-to-directory destination from being treated as a directory to enter. The final command verifies the new destination.
Do not treat -f as a substitute for validation. In automation, first check that the existing destination is the expected symlink and that the new target is an approved release directory. A typo, an unexpected directory, or an attacker-controlled path can turn an unconditional replacement into a destructive change.
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Use interactive or backup behavior when appropriate
ln -sfi TARGET LINK_NAMEadds-i, prompting an operator before replacement. This is suitable for a supervised change window, not unattended automation.ln -sfb TARGET LINK_NAMEadds-b, asking GNUlnto make a backup of a replaced destination according to its backup policy. Confirm where that backup is written and how it will be cleaned up.--no-target-directory(or-T) tells GNUlnto treat the destination operand as the link entry itself. This is useful when the destination might itself be a symlink to a directory and the intention is to replace that link, not create a new entry inside the directory it names.
Interactive prompts and backups solve different operational problems. A prompt adds human approval; a backup preserves a previous name for recovery. Neither verifies that the new target is safe, so perform destination validation separately.
Make the switch observable
Record the old and new resolved paths, the command’s exit status, and the deployment identifier in your change log. After switching, test the application through the stable link path and inspect service logs. If the service has a configuration-test command, run it before reloading; a valid symlink does not guarantee valid application contents.
Remove a symlink safely
Remove only the link entry with either command:
rm -- /srv/www/current
# or
unlink -- /srv/www/currentThese commands do not remove the referenced file or directory. The target remains at its own pathname and can still be reached directly or through other links.
Verify the object before removal:
ls -ld /srv/www/current
readlink -- /srv/www/currentDo not add a recursive option merely because the link points to a directory. A recursive operation aimed at a path that has been resolved incorrectly, or at the target itself, can delete real data. If the name is a directory rather than a symlink, stop and investigate instead of forcing the command.
After removal, test -L /srv/www/current should fail. Removing a symlink may leave an application without its expected path, so coordinate the change with the service using it.
Find and repair broken symlinks
To list dangling symbolic links under a tree, use GNU find:
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find /srv/www -xtype l -print-xtype l selects links whose referenced object cannot be resolved. For each result:
- Print the stored target with
readlink -- PATH. - Resolve it with
readlink -f -- PATHand note which component is missing. - Check whether the target was renamed, the parent filesystem is unmounted, or permissions prevent traversal.
- Decide whether to recreate the link, restore or rename the target, or remove the stale link.
- Limit any cleanup command to the reviewed path set; do not bulk-delete before understanding ownership and scope.
A link can be syntactically valid while dangling. For example, renaming /srv/releases/app-2026.10 to app-2026.10-retired leaves a link containing the old text. Recreate it only after confirming the intended replacement:
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rm -- /srv/www/current
ln -s /srv/releases/app-2026.10-retired /srv/www/current
readlink -f /srv/www/currentFor a production release path, an inspected replacement command may be safer than a remove-then-create gap, because a separate removal briefly leaves no link. Whichever method you choose, verify the destination and test the consuming service.
Use symlinks safely in shell scripts
Protect pathnames
- Quote every variable expansion:
"$link", not$link. - Use
--before path operands for commands that support it. - Use
test -Lto examine the link entry andtest -eto test whether its target resolves. - Do not assume that a name ending in a slash is a symlink; a trailing slash can cause pathname traversal into a directory target.
Validate before forcing replacement
Before using -f in automation, verify that the destination is the expected kind of object and that the new target belongs to an approved directory. Use ls -ld, readlink, and readlink -f as separate checks. If an existing destination is unexpectedly a regular file or directory, fail closed and require operator review rather than deleting it automatically.
Understand race and privilege concerns
Checking a path and changing it are separate operations. Between the check and the replacement, another process with write access could change the directory entry. Run deployment steps with the least privilege that can update the intended parent directory, restrict write access to that directory, and avoid constructing link names from untrusted input. A symlink can redirect a privileged process to a sensitive location if the process follows a path in a writable directory.
Confirm which ln you have
The option set described above is from GNU Coreutils 9.11 documentation and the Linux ln(1) manual. Other Unix implementations can differ, especially for long options and replacement behavior. On the server where a script will run, check ln --help and the local manual page, and test the command in a non-production directory before deploying it.
Troubleshoot common failures
“File exists”
The destination name already exists. Inspect it with ls -ld and determine whether it is the intended link, a different symlink, a regular file, or a directory. Use plain ln -s when replacement should be refused; use -i, -b, or a validated -f workflow only when that policy is deliberate.
The link displays the wrong destination
Run readlink -- LINK_NAME. If the text is relative, resolve it from the directory containing the link. Recreate it from the correct location or use ln -s --relative with the intended source and destination. Do not fix a relative-path error by blindly converting it to an absolute path; first decide whether the tree must remain relocatable.
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At least one component does not resolve, is inaccessible, or belongs to an unmounted filesystem. Compare the stored text from readlink with the actual directory layout, inspect each parent directory, and check mounts and permissions. A dangling link itself is permitted; the failure indicates that the complete path is not currently canonicalizable.
A service cannot follow a link
Confirm the service account can traverse every parent directory and read or enter the resolved target. Check mandatory access-control policies, container or chroot mount visibility, and whether the service resolves paths inside a different filesystem namespace. A link that works in an administrator’s shell may still be unavailable to a confined service.
Removing the link appears to remove data
Check whether the command operated on the link entry or on a path reached through it. Use ls -ld and readlink before changing anything, and avoid recursive options. rm -- LINK_NAME and unlink -- LINK_NAME remove the named symlink; they do not remove its target.
Quick Recap
Operational checklist
- Write the command as
ln -s TARGET LINK_NAME; target first, link name second. - Choose absolute or relative storage based on relocation and mount requirements, not habit.
- For relative links, calculate from the link’s parent directory or use GNU
--relative. - Inspect with
ls -landreadlink; resolve withreadlink -forrealpath. - Remember that a dangling link can be created successfully but will fail when followed.
- Before replacement, validate both the existing destination and the new target.
- Use
-i,-b,-f, and-Tonly when their operational effects are understood. - Remove a link with
rm -- LINK_NAMEorunlink -- LINK_NAME, never with recursive deletion merely because it points to a directory. - Find stale links with
find PATH -xtype l -printand review each result before repair or deletion. - Confirm GNU-specific options against the server’s local
lnimplementation.
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