Link

Link is a word with multiple technical uses. This page intends to disambiguate the usages, and provide web links (sorry, unavoidable self-reference) to some useful resources on each one. Pages should generally not link here, but to the unambiguous entry.

Nouns:

• A link on a web page, also called either a URL or URI.
• In Unix/Linux, a directory entry (which always contains a name and the number (hard_link) of the inode describing the entry).
• In Unix/Linux, the system function link() which creates a new name (and link) for an existing file.
• In Unix/Linux, the system command link which creates a new name (and link) for an existing file.
• A data pathway or Data Link (Wikipedia page)
• A number of non-computer meanings (chain link, evidence, etc.)

Verbs:

• To process compiled portions of a program into a single executable program, usually including one or more libraries. Sometimes known as link editing. A program that does this may be called a linker or link editor. Usually the last phase of program creation in compiled languages.
• To create a link, whether hard_link, hyperlink or other. (ex: link to that web page).

This is a disambiguation page - it contains links to different pages which are referenced here under the same page name. If you've followed a link and have arrived on this page, you might want to go back and modify the link to point to the most appropriate article which is listed on this page.