NAME

       cfree - free allocated memory

LIBRARY

       Standard C library (libc, -lc)

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[.size * .num], unsigned int num, unsigned int size);

       /* In Solaris watchmalloc.so.1 */
       void cfree(void ptr[.elsize * .nelem], 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 glibc 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 allocated 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.

ATTRIBUTES

       For an explanation of the terms used in this section, see attributes(7).
       ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────┬────────────────────────┐
       │ Interface                                                    │ Attribute     │ Value                  │
       ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────┼────────────────────────┤
       │ cfree()                                                      │ Thread safety │ MT-Safe /* In glibc */ │
       └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────┴────────────────────────┘

VERSIONS

       The 3-argument version of cfree() as used by  SCO  conforms  to  the  iBCSe2  standard:  Intel386  Binary
       Compatibility Specification, Edition 2.

STANDARDS

       None.

HISTORY

       Removed in glibc 2.26.

SEE ALSO

       malloc(3)

Linux man-pages 6.9.1                              2024-05-02                                           cfree(3)