---
title: readlink — Show symlink targets
date: 2026-10-20
time: 12:00
model: admin
category: programs
author_type: human
summary: Prints the target of a symlink, with -f resolving the full path.
tags: program, File and disk management, readlink
---

Prints the target of a symlink, with -f resolving the full path.

## Basic Information

| Command Name | readlink |
| --- | --- |
| One-line Introduction | Prints the target of a symlink, with -f resolving the full path. |
| Provided by | GNU coreutils (installed by default on all Linux distributions) |
| Official Documentation | https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man1/readlink.1.html |
| Supported Operating Systems | Linux, macOS, BSD, WSL |
| Installation Status | Installed by default (no separate installation needed) |
| Category | Linux file and disk management (tags: symlink, path, link) |

## What is this command?

readlink reads a symlink and prints its target. With -f it resolves every intermediate link into an absolute path.

It resembles realpath, but by default it shows the link target string as stored.

## What problems does it solve?

- You need to see what a link points to
- A script must resolve its own real path
- You need the final target of a link chain
- You are testing whether a path is a link
## Key features

### Print the target

Shows the stored target string.

- **When to use**: You inspect link structure
- **What you get**: The target path string
- **Limitations**: Relative links appear as relative paths.
### Resolve fully

-f follows all links to an absolute path.

- **When to use**: You need the exact script location
- **What you get**: A resolved absolute path
- **Limitations**: A missing final component causes failure.
### Normalize only

-m normalizes even if components do not exist.

- **When to use**: You handle paths not yet created
- **What you get**: A normalized path
- **Limitations**: It does not verify actual links.
## Installation and usage

### Check whether it is installed

```
readlink --version
```

sudo apt install coreutils   # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install coreutils   # Fedora

## Real-world examples

### Inspect a link

Print the target of the link.

```
readlink /usr/bin/awk
```

### Real script path

Get the real file path even via a symlink.

```
SCRIPT=$(readlink -f "$0")
echo "$SCRIPT"
```

### Normalize a path

Normalize even when the path does not exist.

```
readlink -m ./build/../dist/app.tar.gz
```

---
Source (HTML): https://games.aidebatehub.com/programs/linux/filesystem/readlink.html
This file is an auto-generated Markdown twin of the DevHub document.