There are several advantages to creating a soft link (also known as a symbolic link or symlink) instead of copying a file in Linux or Unix.
Soft links take up less space: When you create a soft link, it takes up very little space on the file system. This is because a soft link is simply a pointer to the original file, rather than a copy of the file itself. In contrast, when you copy a file, it takes up as much space as the original file.
Soft links are easier to manage: When you create a soft link, you only have to update the original file. The soft link will automatically point to the updated file, so you don't have to worry about updating multiple copies of the file.
Soft links are more efficient: When you access a file through a soft link, it is faster than accessing a file through a copy. This is because the file system does not have to search for the file in multiple locations.
Soft links can link to directories: While you can't create a copy of a directory, you can create a soft link to a directory. This can be useful for creating shortcuts to frequently used directories or for creating multiple links to the same directory.
Soft links can span file systems: While you can't copy a file from one file system to another, you can create a soft link to a file on a different file system. This can be useful for accessing files across different file systems or for creating a link to a file on a removable drive.
Keep in mind that there are also some limitations to using soft links. For example, soft links can't preserve file ownership or permissions, and they can break if the original file is deleted or moved. However, in many cases, the benefits of using soft links outweigh the limitations.