How to use the command 'readlink' (with examples)
The ‘readlink’ command is used to follow symbolic links and retrieve information about symlinks. It is a part of the GNU Core Utilities and can be used to get the actual file to which a symlink points or to obtain the absolute path to a file.
Use case 1: Get the actual file to which the symlink points
Code:
readlink path/to/file
Motivation: This use case is useful when you want to determine the actual file that a symlink is pointing to. Symlinks are used to create shortcuts or aliases to files, but sometimes it’s necessary to access the original file directly.
Explanation: In this use case, the ‘readlink’ command is used without any options. It takes the path to a symlink as an argument and returns the path to the actual file that the symlink points to.
Example output: If the symlink ’link’ points to the file ‘file.txt’, running the command ‘readlink link’ would return ‘file.txt’.
Use case 2: Get the absolute path to a file
Code:
readlink -f path/to/file
Motivation: There are situations where you need to obtain the absolute path to a file, which includes the entire path from the root directory. This can be useful for scripting or when you want to reference a file with its full path.
Explanation: In this use case, the ‘-f’ option is used along with the ‘readlink’ command. It takes the path to a file as an argument and returns the absolute path to that file.
Example output: If the file ‘file.txt’ is located at ‘/home/user/Documents/file.txt’, running the command ‘readlink -f file.txt’ would return ‘/home/user/Documents/file.txt’.
Conclusion:
The ‘readlink’ command is a helpful tool for working with symbolic links. It allows you to retrieve information about symlinks, such as the actual file they point to and the absolute path to a file. By understanding the different use cases and options of the command, you can effectively manage and work with symlinks in your system.
