$ Linux Command

Files

readlink

Print symbolic link targets or canonical paths.

symlinkpathresolvelink

Additional Notes

readlink prints the target of a symbolic link. With canonicalization options, it can also resolve a path to an absolute path by following symlinks and handling . and .. components.

Use readlink when debugging symlinks, discovering where a command or config path points, or resolving paths in scripts.

Syntax

readlink [options] file
readlink -f path

Parameters

  • file: Symbolic link or path to inspect.
  • path: Path to canonicalize.
  • options: Canonicalization and output controls.

Common Options

  • No option: Print the immediate target of a symbolic link.
  • -f: Canonicalize by following path components. All but the final component must exist.
  • -e: Canonicalize and require all path components to exist.
  • -m: Canonicalize even if path components are missing.
  • -n: Do not print the trailing newline.
  • -q, -s: Suppress most errors.
  • -v: Print error messages.
  • -z: End each output item with a NUL byte instead of a newline.

Examples

readlink /usr/bin/python

Print where the symlink points.

readlink -f /usr/bin/python

Print the fully resolved path.

readlink -e /etc/hosts

Resolve a path and require it to exist.

script_dir=$(dirname "$(readlink -f "$0")")

Resolve a script path before deriving its directory.

find links -type l -print0 | xargs -0 readlink -z

Use NUL-separated output when filenames may contain unusual characters.

Practical Notes

  • readlink link and readlink -f link answer different questions: immediate target versus canonical path.
  • If the argument is not a symbolic link and no canonicalization option is used, readlink prints nothing and fails.
  • realpath is usually clearer when you only need resolved absolute paths.
  • Exit status 0 means success; nonzero means failure.
  • Behavior for missing paths can differ between Unix variants; test scripts on the target platform.