There are several types of
links in
UNIX and other common
operating systems.
Hard Link
A hard link is a directory entry that provides an alias to another file in the same filesystem. Multiple linked entries appear in a directory for one physical file without replication of the data contents of that file.
Soft, or Symbolic Links
A directory entry that provides an alias to another file usually located in a different filesystem. Multiple entries appear in a directory for one physical file without replication of the data contents of that file. This is implemented using File Links.
File Link
A file link is a file which contains the fully qualified filename of the original linked-to file. The file link allows a symbolic link to be created on one filesystem to link to a physical file on a different filesystem.