CFREE(3) Linux Programmer's Manual CFREE(3)
NAME
cfree - free allocated memory
SYNOPSIS
#include <stdlib.h>
/* In SunOS 4 */
int cfree(void *ptr);
/* In glibc or FreeBSD libcompat */
void cfree(void *ptr);
/* In SCO OpenServer */
void cfree(char *ptr, unsigned num, unsigned size);
/* In Solaris watchmalloc.so.1 */
void cfree(void *ptr, size_t nelem, size_t elsize);
Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see feature_test_macros(7)):
cfree():
Since glibc 2.19:
_DEFAULT_SOURCE
Glibc 2.19 and earlier:
_BSD_SOURCE || _SVID_SOURCE
DESCRIPTION
This function should never be used. Use free(3) instead. Starting
with version 2.26, it has been removed from glibc.
1-arg cfree
In glibc, the function cfree() is a synonym for free(3), "added for
compatibility with SunOS".
Other systems have other functions with this name. The declaration is
sometimes in <stdlib.h> and sometimes in <malloc.h>.
3-arg cfree
Some SCO and Solaris versions have malloc libraries with a 3-argument
cfree(), apparently as an analog to calloc(3).
If you need it while porting something, add
#define cfree(p, n, s) free((p))
to your file.
A frequently asked question is "Can I use free(3) to free memory allo-
cated with calloc(3), or do I need cfree()?" Answer: use free(3).
An SCO manual writes: "The cfree routine is provided for compliance to
the iBCSe2 standard and simply calls free. The num and size arguments
to cfree are not used."
RETURN VALUE
The SunOS version of cfree() (which is a synonym for free(3)) returns 1
on success and 0 on failure. In case of error, errno is set to EINVAL:
the value of ptr was not a pointer to a block previously allocated by
one of the routines in the malloc(3) family.
VERSIONS
The cfree() function was removed from glibc in version 2.26.
ATTRIBUTES
For an explanation of the terms used in this section, see at-
tributes(7).
+----------+---------------+------------------------+
|Interface | Attribute | Value |
+----------+---------------+------------------------+
|cfree() | Thread safety | MT-Safe /* In glibc */ |
+----------+---------------+------------------------+
CONFORMING TO
The 3-argument version of cfree() as used by SCO conforms to the iBCSe2
standard: Intel386 Binary Compatibility Specification, Edition 2.
SEE ALSO
malloc(3)
COLOPHON
This page is part of release 5.07 of the Linux man-pages project. A
description of the project, information about reporting bugs, and the
latest version of this page, can be found at
https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.
2017-09-15 CFREE(3)