Why ln -sf does not overwrite existing link to directory [closed]

Answer 1

When you run:

ln -sf DIR2 L

This is creating a symlink inside DIR1 cause L points to DIR1 and ln dereferences it, creating L/DIR2 -> DIR1.

The following:

rm -fr DIR1 DIR2 L
mkdir DIR1 DIR2
ln -v -s DIR1 L
ls -la L
ln -v -f -s DIR2 L
ls -la L

will output:

'L' -> 'DIR1'
lrwxrwxrwx 1 runner runner 4 Oct 21 18:13 L -> DIR1
'L/DIR2' -> 'DIR2'
lrwxrwxrwx 1 runner runner 4 Oct 21 18:13 L -> DIR1

To handle that, use the --no-dereference option as indicated in answer in this thread on superuser.com.