VFS_WIDELINKS(8)

✨ VFS_WIDELINKS ✨

ok bestie, buckle up, because this is vfs_widelinks from the samba(7) section 8 girlies — System Administration tools, the whole vibe 💅

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💖 NAME 💖

vfs_widelinks — the module that makes a Samba share straight-up ignore filesystem symbolic links inside that share 🫣🔗

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

vfs objects = widelinks

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

okay so. This VFS module is part of the samba(7) suite, periodt. ✨

The vfs_widelinks VFS module hides the existence of symbolic links in the filesystem inside a share. It's the thing that's been holding down the smb.conf "wide links = yes" functionality in Samba version 4.13 and above — back in the day that logic lived right inside the core smbd code, but now it's moved out here. 🏠➡️📦

Now here's the important part, bestie, don't skip it 🙈: you should not load this module explicitly in smb.conf as part of the "vfs objects =" parameter. It gets loaded implicitly when "wide links = yes" is enabled. And why? Because the devs did not want existing smb.conf files to have to be edited just to keep the existing insecure "wide links" functionality alive on a share. They were being nice. 😭🫶

⚠️ major warning, no cap: the "wide links = yes" functionality is a deliberately insecure option and should never be used in Samba installations. Like, ever. On Linux, bind mounts can be used instead to implement anything "wide links = yes" can enable. This module was created purely to provide backwards compatibility with existing users of "wide links = yes" installations — but this use cannot be recommended and is not endorsed by the Samba developers. 👑❌

Also heads up, lowercase heads up: this implicit loading may become explicit in a later Samba release, and admins who want to keep the insecure "wide links" functionality may have to add this module into their "vfs objects =" module list themselves. The Samba project release notes and this manpage will be updated to reflect that when the change is made. So keep an eye out, iykyk. 👀

This module is stackable. 🥞✨

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🎀 EXAMPLES 🎀

No examples listed, bestie. This module is implicitly loaded by smbd as needed. That's the whole story. 💀

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💜 VERSION 💜

This man page is part of version 4.24.7-Ubuntu-4.24.7+dfsg-1ubuntu1 of the Samba suite. ⭐

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🌈 AUTHOR 🌈

The original Samba software and related utilities were created by Andrew Tridgell. Samba is now developed by the Samba Team as an Open Source project similar to the way the Linux kernel is developed. iconic behavior honestly 💅🔥

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and that's the whole page, bestie 🫶 this was Samba 4.24.7-Ubuntu-4.24.7+dfsg-1ubuntu1, dated 09/13/2026, filed under VFS_WIDELINKS(8) in System Administration tools — slay, go configure your shares responsibly, mwah 💖🎀🦋