link (Unix)

The link utility is a Unix command line program that creates a hard link from an existing directory entry to a new directory entry. It does no more than call the link() system function. It does not perform error checking before attempting to create the link. It returns an exit status that indicates if the link was created or not (0 if successful, >0 if an error occurred). It can be run only by privileged users in the case where the existing directory entry refers to a directory.

The ln command is more commonly-used as it provides more feature; can create both hard links and symbolic links; and has error checking.

Synopsis

   link file1 file2

file1

The pathname of an existing file.

file2

The pathname of the new directory entry to be created.

Note that file1 must specify an existing file, and file2 must specify a nonexistent entry in an existing directory.

Standards

The link command is part of the Single UNIX Specification, specified in the Shell and Utilities volume of IEEE Std 1003.1-2001.

See also

• List of Unix utilities
• ln command
• unlink command

External links

• IEEE Std 1003.1-2004 Shell & Utilities volume -- list of SUS utilities.
• GNU Coreutils link documentation.