# Symlinking and ln command Symlinks create multiple paths to a file or directory and are useful for saving space or having 1 set of files for multiple installs. ## Using Symlinks to Save Storage Space This guide is for pointing multiple directories to the same folder using `ln` command. Ln creates hardlinks and softlinks, the -s variable creates softlinks. These can be compared to shortcuts on windows, and are going to be used in this guide. Example guide using two "one server + one user" installs with Sven Co-op: `Gameserver folder 1: /home/svencoop/serverfiles/svencoop_downloads/` `Gameserver folder 2: /home/svencoop2/serverfiles/svencoop_downloads/` `Shared folder /home/svencoop_content/svencoop_downloads/` The command to link these would be `ln -s /shared_folder/ /gameserver_folder/` `ln -s /home/svencoop_maps/svencoop_downloads/ /home/svencoop/serverfiles/` `ln -s /home/svencoop_maps/svencoop_downloads/ /home/svencoop2/serverfiles/` Change the game server folder ownership to be under their respective users and you are done. `chown svencoop /home/svencoop/serverfiles/svencoop_downloads` `chown svencoop2 /home/svencoop2/serverfiles/svencoop_downloads` The files in the symlinks do not need be owned by the gameserver users and will not be recognized by linuxGSM's ownership check. That being said, make sure they can be read by the gameserver users. ## Symlink resources [Excellent description of differences between Symlinks and Hardlinks by OSTechNix](https://www.ostechnix.com/explaining-soft-link-and-hard-link-in-linux-with-examples/) [Official Ubuntu ln Documentation](http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/disco/man1/ln.1.html) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.linuxgsm.com/linux/save-space-with-symlinking.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.