Absolute vs. Relative Symbolic Links (Symlinks)

[Spab23]

I use symlinks a lot on my system and I was wondering if there are any differences between using absolute vs. relative symlinks. Does one take longer to access?

Example: I have a file with a full path of:

/var/code/release/v1.0/jarFile.jar

and I want to symlink it to:

/var/code/server/jars/jarFile.jar

Should I create the symlink to be:

/var/code/server/jars/jarFile.jar -> ../../release/v1.0/jarFile.jar

or

/var/code/server/jars/jarFile.jar -> /var/code/release/v1.0/jarFile.jar

...or does it matter?

 

[sleipnir214]

If you create a relative link and the move the link, you can break it. Classically, this happens when you move the link to a place where the relative filesystem location no longer works.

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TANSTAAFL!!

 

[Annihilannic]

Conversely, if you make it an absolute link and move the whole directory tree to another location (probably by mounting a filesystem somewhere else), it will also break it, so you need to decide which is best for you.

If it is an application that may be deployed on other people's machines it may be best to use relative in case they decide to install it in a different location.

Annihilannic.