---
name: readlink
status: documented
runtime: pp
source: src/runtime/pp/filemod.rs
---
```{index} single: readlink; Perl built-in (pp runtime)
```

# readlink

## Synopsis

```perl
my $target = readlink $symlink;
my $target = readlink '/usr/bin/perl';
my $target = readlink;     # readlink($_)
```

## Description

Returns the target of a symbolic link.

Returns the filename pointed to by the symbolic link EXPR, or `$_`
if omitted. Returns `undef` on error (e.g., not a symlink, file not
found) and sets `$!`. Uses `std::fs::read_link` and converts the
result to a string via `to_string_lossy`.

## See also

symlink, lstat, stat