1CFREE(3) Linux Programmer's Manual CFREE(3)
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6 cfree - free allocated memory
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9 #include <stdlib.h>
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11 /* In SunOS 4 */
12 int cfree(void *ptr);
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14 /* In glibc or FreeBSD libcompat */
15 void cfree(void *ptr);
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17 /* In SCO OpenServer */
18 void cfree(char *ptr, unsigned num, unsigned size);
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20 /* In Solaris watchmalloc.so.1 */
21 void cfree(void *ptr, size_t nelem, size_t elsize);
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23 Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see feature_test_macros(7)):
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25 cfree():
26 Since glibc 2.19:
27 _DEFAULT_SOURCE
28 Glibc 2.19 and earlier:
29 _BSD_SOURCE || _SVID_SOURCE
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32 This function should never be used. Use free(3) instead. Starting
33 with version 2.26, it has been removed from glibc.
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35 1-arg cfree
36 In glibc, the function cfree() is a synonym for free(3), "added for
37 compatibility with SunOS".
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39 Other systems have other functions with this name. The declaration is
40 sometimes in <stdlib.h> and sometimes in <malloc.h>.
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42 3-arg cfree
43 Some SCO and Solaris versions have malloc libraries with a 3-argument
44 cfree(), apparently as an analog to calloc(3).
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46 If you need it while porting something, add
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48 #define cfree(p, n, s) free((p))
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50 to your file.
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52 A frequently asked question is "Can I use free(3) to free memory allo‐
53 cated with calloc(3), or do I need cfree()?" Answer: use free(3).
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55 An SCO manual writes: "The cfree routine is provided for compliance to
56 the iBCSe2 standard and simply calls free. The num and size arguments
57 to cfree are not used."
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60 The SunOS version of cfree() (which is a synonym for free(3)) returns 1
61 on success and 0 on failure. In case of error, errno is set to EINVAL:
62 the value of ptr was not a pointer to a block previously allocated by
63 one of the routines in the malloc(3) family.
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66 The cfree() function was removed from glibc in version 2.26.
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69 For an explanation of the terms used in this section, see
70 attributes(7).
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72 ┌──────────┬───────────────┬────────────────────────┐
73 │Interface │ Attribute │ Value │
74 ├──────────┼───────────────┼────────────────────────┤
75 │cfree() │ Thread safety │ MT-Safe /* In glibc */ │
76 └──────────┴───────────────┴────────────────────────┘
78 The 3-argument version of cfree() as used by SCO conforms to the iBCSe2
79 standard: Intel386 Binary Compatibility Specification, Edition 2.
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82 malloc(3)
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85 This page is part of release 4.16 of the Linux man-pages project. A
86 description of the project, information about reporting bugs, and the
87 latest version of this page, can be found at
88 https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.
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92 2017-09-15 CFREE(3)