A symbolic link, often abbreviated as symlink or soft link, is not a traditional file format containing user data in the way a document or image is. Instead, it is a special type of file system object that points to another file or directory (the target). When an operating system accesses a symbolic link, it transparently redirects the operation to the target path. This mechanism is crucial for creating shortcuts, managing different versions of libraries (like in Linux/Unix systems), and organizing directory structures without duplicating data. Symbolic links are fundamental to Unix-like operating systems (Linux, macOS) but are also supported, albeit sometimes with different implementation details, in Windows (since Windows NT). They contain the path information necessary to resolve the link. Unlike hard links, symbolic links can point across different file systems and can link to directories. If the target file or directory is deleted or moved, the symbolic link becomes a 'dangling' or 'broken' link, pointing to a non-existent location.