diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Filesystem/Filesystem.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Filesystem/Filesystem.php
index 95c3ab0392..92c296bc00 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Filesystem/Filesystem.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Filesystem/Filesystem.php
@@ -330,16 +330,59 @@ class Filesystem
         }
 
         if (!$ok && true !== @symlink($originDir, $targetDir)) {
-            $report = error_get_last();
-            if (is_array($report)) {
-                if ('\\' === DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR && false !== strpos($report['message'], 'error code(1314)')) {
-                    throw new IOException('Unable to create symlink due to error code 1314: \'A required privilege is not held by the client\'. Do you have the required Administrator-rights?', 0, null, $targetDir);
-                }
-            }
-            throw new IOException(sprintf('Failed to create symbolic link from "%s" to "%s".', $originDir, $targetDir), 0, null, $targetDir);
+            $this->linkException($originDir, $targetDir, 'symbolic');
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Creates a hard link, or several hard links to a file.
+     *
+     * @param string          $originFile  The original file
+     * @param string|string[] $targetFiles The target file(s)
+     *
+     * @throws FileNotFoundException When original file is missing or not a file
+     * @throws IOException           When link fails, including if link already exists
+     */
+    public function hardlink($originFile, $targetFiles)
+    {
+        if (!$this->exists($originFile)) {
+            throw new FileNotFoundException(null, 0, null, $originFile);
+        }
+
+        if (!is_file($originFile)) {
+            throw new FileNotFoundException(sprintf('Origin file "%s" is not a file', $originFile));
+        }
+
+        foreach ($this->toIterator($targetFiles) as $targetFile) {
+            if (is_file($targetFile)) {
+                if (fileinode($originFile) === fileinode($targetFile)) {
+                    continue;
+                }
+                $this->remove($targetFile);
+            }
+
+            if (true !== @link($originFile, $targetFile)) {
+                $this->linkException($originFile, $targetFile, 'hard');
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param string $origin
+     * @param string $target
+     * @param string $linkType Name of the link type, typically 'symbolic' or 'hard'
+     */
+    private function linkException($origin, $target, $linkType)
+    {
+        $report = error_get_last();
+        if (is_array($report)) {
+            if ('\\' === DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR && false !== strpos($report['message'], 'error code(1314)')) {
+                throw new IOException(sprintf('Unable to create %s link due to error code 1314: \'A required privilege is not held by the client\'. Do you have the required Administrator-rights?', $linkType), 0, null, $target);
+            }
+        }
+        throw new IOException(sprintf('Failed to create %s link from "%s" to "%s".', $linkType, $origin, $target), 0, null, $target);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Given an existing path, convert it to a path relative to a given starting path.
      *
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Filesystem/Tests/FilesystemTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Filesystem/Tests/FilesystemTest.php
index 9a65543098..1934a33b1e 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Filesystem/Tests/FilesystemTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Filesystem/Tests/FilesystemTest.php
@@ -565,6 +565,20 @@ class FilesystemTest extends FilesystemTestCase
         $this->filesystem->chown($link, $this->getFileOwner($link));
     }
 
+    public function testChownLink()
+    {
+        $this->markAsSkippedIfLinkIsMissing();
+
+        $file = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'file';
+        $link = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'link';
+
+        touch($file);
+
+        $this->filesystem->hardlink($file, $link);
+
+        $this->filesystem->chown($link, $this->getFileOwner($link));
+    }
+
     /**
      * @expectedException \Symfony\Component\Filesystem\Exception\IOException
      */
@@ -582,6 +596,23 @@ class FilesystemTest extends FilesystemTestCase
         $this->filesystem->chown($link, 'user'.time().mt_rand(1000, 9999));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @expectedException \Symfony\Component\Filesystem\Exception\IOException
+     */
+    public function testChownLinkFails()
+    {
+        $this->markAsSkippedIfLinkIsMissing();
+
+        $file = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'file';
+        $link = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'link';
+
+        touch($file);
+
+        $this->filesystem->hardlink($file, $link);
+
+        $this->filesystem->chown($link, 'user'.time().mt_rand(1000, 9999));
+    }
+
     /**
      * @expectedException \Symfony\Component\Filesystem\Exception\IOException
      */
@@ -631,6 +662,20 @@ class FilesystemTest extends FilesystemTestCase
         $this->filesystem->chgrp($link, $this->getFileGroup($link));
     }
 
+    public function testChgrpLink()
+    {
+        $this->markAsSkippedIfLinkIsMissing();
+
+        $file = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'file';
+        $link = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'link';
+
+        touch($file);
+
+        $this->filesystem->hardlink($file, $link);
+
+        $this->filesystem->chgrp($link, $this->getFileGroup($link));
+    }
+
     /**
      * @expectedException \Symfony\Component\Filesystem\Exception\IOException
      */
@@ -648,6 +693,23 @@ class FilesystemTest extends FilesystemTestCase
         $this->filesystem->chgrp($link, 'user'.time().mt_rand(1000, 9999));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @expectedException \Symfony\Component\Filesystem\Exception\IOException
+     */
+    public function testChgrpLinkFails()
+    {
+        $this->markAsSkippedIfLinkIsMissing();
+
+        $file = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'file';
+        $link = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'link';
+
+        touch($file);
+
+        $this->filesystem->hardlink($file, $link);
+
+        $this->filesystem->chgrp($link, 'user'.time().mt_rand(1000, 9999));
+    }
+
     /**
      * @expectedException \Symfony\Component\Filesystem\Exception\IOException
      */
@@ -799,6 +861,103 @@ class FilesystemTest extends FilesystemTestCase
         $this->assertEquals($file, readlink($link2));
     }
 
+    public function testLink()
+    {
+        $this->markAsSkippedIfLinkIsMissing();
+
+        $file = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'file';
+        $link = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'link';
+
+        touch($file);
+        $this->filesystem->hardlink($file, $link);
+
+        $this->assertTrue(is_file($link));
+        $this->assertEquals(fileinode($file), fileinode($link));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @depends testLink
+     */
+    public function testRemoveLink()
+    {
+        $this->markAsSkippedIfLinkIsMissing();
+
+        $link = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'link';
+
+        $this->filesystem->remove($link);
+
+        $this->assertTrue(!is_file($link));
+    }
+
+    public function testLinkIsOverwrittenIfPointsToDifferentTarget()
+    {
+        $this->markAsSkippedIfLinkIsMissing();
+
+        $file = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'file';
+        $file2 = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'file2';
+        $link = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'link';
+
+        touch($file);
+        touch($file2);
+        link($file2, $link);
+
+        $this->filesystem->hardlink($file, $link);
+
+        $this->assertTrue(is_file($link));
+        $this->assertEquals(fileinode($file), fileinode($link));
+    }
+
+    public function testLinkIsNotOverwrittenIfAlreadyCreated()
+    {
+        $this->markAsSkippedIfLinkIsMissing();
+
+        $file = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'file';
+        $link = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'link';
+
+        touch($file);
+        link($file, $link);
+
+        $this->filesystem->hardlink($file, $link);
+
+        $this->assertTrue(is_file($link));
+        $this->assertEquals(fileinode($file), fileinode($link));
+
+    }
+
+    public function testLinkWithSeveralTargets()
+    {
+        $this->markAsSkippedIfLinkIsMissing();
+
+        $file = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'file';
+        $link1 = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'link';
+        $link2 = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'link2';
+
+        touch($file);
+
+        $this->filesystem->hardlink($file, array($link1,$link2));
+
+        $this->assertTrue(is_file($link1));
+        $this->assertEquals(fileinode($file), fileinode($link1));
+        $this->assertTrue(is_file($link2));
+        $this->assertEquals(fileinode($file), fileinode($link2));
+    }
+
+    public function testLinkWithSameTarget()
+    {
+        $this->markAsSkippedIfLinkIsMissing();
+
+        $file = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'file';
+        $link = $this->workspace.DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'link';
+
+        touch($file);
+
+        // practically same as testLinkIsNotOverwrittenIfAlreadyCreated
+        $this->filesystem->hardlink($file, array($link,$link));
+
+        $this->assertTrue(is_file($link));
+        $this->assertEquals(fileinode($file), fileinode($link));
+    }
+
     /**
      * @dataProvider providePathsForMakePathRelative
      */
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Filesystem/Tests/FilesystemTestCase.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Filesystem/Tests/FilesystemTestCase.php
index 63d8b8fc90..9014ab41bc 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Filesystem/Tests/FilesystemTestCase.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Filesystem/Tests/FilesystemTestCase.php
@@ -29,16 +29,42 @@ class FilesystemTestCase extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
      */
     protected $workspace = null;
 
+    /**
+     * @var null|bool Flag for hard links on Windows
+     */
+    private static $linkOnWindows = null;
+
+    /**
+     * @var null|bool Flag for symbolic links on Windows
+     */
     private static $symlinkOnWindows = null;
 
     public static function setUpBeforeClass()
     {
-        if ('\\' === DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR && null === self::$symlinkOnWindows) {
-            $target = tempnam(sys_get_temp_dir(), 'sl');
-            $link = sys_get_temp_dir().'/sl'.microtime(true).mt_rand();
-            self::$symlinkOnWindows = @symlink($target, $link) && is_link($link);
-            @unlink($link);
-            unlink($target);
+        if ('\\' === DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR) {
+            self::$linkOnWindows = true;
+            $originFile = tempnam(sys_get_temp_dir(), 'li');
+            $targetFile = tempnam(sys_get_temp_dir(), 'li');
+            if (true !== @link($originFile, $targetFile)) {
+                $report = error_get_last();
+                if (is_array($report) && false !== strpos($report['message'], 'error code(1314)')) {
+                    self::$linkOnWindows = false;
+                }
+            } else {
+                @unlink($targetFile);
+            }
+
+            self::$symlinkOnWindows = true;
+            $originDir = tempnam(sys_get_temp_dir(), 'sl');
+            $targetDir = tempnam(sys_get_temp_dir(), 'sl');
+            if (true !== @symlink($originDir, $targetDir)) {
+                $report = error_get_last();
+                if (is_array($report) && false !== strpos($report['message'], 'error code(1314)')) {
+                    self::$symlinkOnWindows = false;
+                }
+            } else {
+                @unlink($targetDir);
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -100,6 +126,17 @@ class FilesystemTestCase extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $this->markTestSkipped('Unable to retrieve file group name');
     }
 
+    protected function markAsSkippedIfLinkIsMissing()
+    {
+        if (!function_exists('link')) {
+            $this->markTestSkipped('link is not supported');
+        }
+
+        if ('\\' === DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR && false === self::$linkOnWindows) {
+            $this->markTestSkipped('link requires "Create hard links" privilege on windows');
+        }
+    }
+
     protected function markAsSkippedIfSymlinkIsMissing($relative = false)
     {
         if ('\\' === DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR && false === self::$symlinkOnWindows) {