Backup and recovery of data files using hard links

An apparatus to protect data with hard links, the apparatus comprising:

• a hard link generator to create a second hard link on a computing device to a target file referenced by a first hard link, the hard link generator to create the second hard link in response to a determination that a first operation being performed on the target file by a thread of a process is a file deletion operation;
• and
• a file system filter to:
• determine whether the first operation being performed on the target file is the file deletion operation;
• invoke the hard link generator in response to determining the first operation is the file deletion operation, the thread of the process to be blocked from performing the first operation while the hard link generator is invoked;
• and
• return control to the thread of the process after the second hard link is created.

A method to backup data with hard links, the method comprising:

• determining, by executing an instruction with a processor, whether a first operation to be performed on a target file by a thread of a process is a file deletion operation, the target file referenced by a first hard link;
• in response to determining the first operation is the file deletion operation, creating, by executing an instruction with a processor, a second hard link to the target file, the thread of the process to be blocked while the second hard link is created;
• and
• returning control, by executing an instruction with a processor, to the thread of the process after the second hard link is created to enable the first operation to be performed on the target file.