Reopen Files Without Paths

How to reopen on linux a file later when you only stored identity in a DB, without depending on a path that may have been renamed. - chatGPT

# Permissions are a major caveat

open_by_handle_at() is intentionally privileged. On typical Linux systems, calling it requires CAP_DAC_READ_SEARCH.

because access to ressource is traditionnaly path and ACL driven.

name_to_handle_at(2) + open_by_handle_at(2) are specifically designed for this kind of “reopen later without retaining the pathname” use case.

Written on September 19, 2026, Last update on

linux filesystem inode