What distinguishes a hard link from a symbolic link in Linux?

A hard link is fundamentally different from a symbolic link in that it points directly to the file's inode. Inodes are data structures that store information about files, including their location on disk, permissions, and timestamps. When you create a hard link, you are essentially creating an additional directory entry that references the same inode as the original file. This means that both the original file and the hard link share the same data and any changes made to one are reflected in the other.

On the other hand, a symbolic link, or symlink, does not reference the inode directly. Instead, it serves as a pointer to the file name of the original file. This means that if the original file is deleted or moved, the symlink will no longer function correctly, as it relies on the file path rather than the inode.

Understanding these distinctions is crucial for file management in Linux, especially when considering file integrity, storage usage, and navigation through the filesystem.