What is the difference between soft links and hard links?

Hard and soft links are different types of links to objects in file systems and embedded systems.

Hard link:

• An additional name for an existing file.
• Directly points to the file's inode.
• Has equal rights with the original filename.
• Deleting one of the names does not delete the file as long as there is at least one hard link.
• Cannot create hard links to directories (in most systems) and to files on other file systems.

Soft link (or symbolic link):

• A separate file that contains the path to another file or directory.
• Works like a shortcut or pointer.
• If the original file is deleted, the soft link becomes "dangling".
• Can be created for directories and files on other file systems.

In the context of Embedded / IoT systems, soft links can be used for ease of navigation or updating paths without changing the original files, while hard links are used for saving space and ensuring data integrity.

Example in Linux:

ln file.txt file_hard_link.txt    # hard link
ln -s file.txt file_soft_link.txt # soft link