What is the difference between a hard link and a symbolic link?

Before we start we need to know what is a symbolic and a hard link, In computing, a symbolic link is a term for any file that contains a reference to another file or directory in the form of an absolute or relative path and that affects pathname resolution. And A Hard Link is merely an additional name for an existing file on Linux or other Unix-like operating systems. Hard links can also be created to other hard links. However, they cannot be created for directories , and they cannot cross filesystem boundaries or span across partitions.

A file in the file system is basically a link to an inode. A hard link then just creates another file with a link to the same underlying inode. … A symbolic link is a link to another name in the file system. Once a hard link has been made the link is to the inode.

So Basically A Symbolic Link

-Can cross the file system

-Allows you to link between directories

-Has different inode number and file permissions than original file

-Permissions will not be updated

-Has only the path of the original file, not the contents.

A hard Link

-can’t cross the file system boundaries ( A hardlink can only work on the same filesystem),

-can’t link directories,

-has the same inode number and permissions of original file,

-permissions will be updated if we change the permissions of source file,

-has the actual contents of original file, so that you still can view the contents, even if the original file moved or removed.

How To Create Hard and Symbolic Links?

To create Symbolic Links the syntax is :

ln -s source link
ln -s /path/to/foo/ /path/to/link
ln -v /path/to/foo/ /path/to/link

To create Hard Links the syntax is :

ln {source} {link}
ln /path/to/source /path/to/link
ln target link
ln target directory

Where,

— -source is an existing file.

— -link is the file to create (a hard link).

To create hard link for foo file, enter:
echo 'This is a test' > foo
ln foo bar
ls -li bar foo

You can find more information about Hard And Symbolic links in https://blog.usejournal.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-hard-link-and-a-symbolic-link-8c0493041b62 and the in Manual of the Linux Terminal.