remove(3) - Linux manual page (original) (raw)

remove(3) Library Functions Manual remove(3)

NAME top

   remove - remove a file or directory

LIBRARY top

   Standard C library (_libc_, _-lc_)

SYNOPSIS top

   **#include <stdio.h>**

   **int remove(const char ***_pathname_**);**

DESCRIPTION top

   **remove**() deletes a name from the filesystem.  It calls [unlink(2)](../man2/unlink.2.html)
   for files, and [rmdir(2)](../man2/rmdir.2.html) for directories.

   If the removed name was the last link to a file and no processes
   have the file open, the file is deleted and the space it was using
   is made available for reuse.

   If the name was the last link to a file, but any processes still
   have the file open, the file will remain in existence until the
   last file descriptor referring to it is closed.

   If the name referred to a symbolic link, the link is removed.

   If the name referred to a socket, FIFO, or device, the name is
   removed, but processes which have the object open may continue to
   use it.

RETURN VALUE top

   On success, zero is returned.  On error, -1 is returned, and _[errno](../man3/errno.3.html)_
   is set to indicate the error.

ERRORS top

   The errors that occur are those for [unlink(2)](../man2/unlink.2.html) and [rmdir(2)](../man2/rmdir.2.html).

ATTRIBUTES top

   For an explanation of the terms used in this section, see
   [attributes(7)](../man7/attributes.7.html).
   ┌──────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────┬─────────┐
   │ **Interface** │ **Attribute** │ **Value** │
   ├──────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────┼─────────┤
   │ **remove**()                             │ Thread safety │ MT-Safe │
   └──────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────┴─────────┘

STANDARDS top

   C11, POSIX.1-2008.

HISTORY top

   POSIX.1-2001, C89, 4.3BSD.

BUGS top

   Infelicities in the protocol underlying NFS can cause the
   unexpected disappearance of files which are still being used.

SEE ALSO top

   [rm(1)](../man1/rm.1.html), [unlink(1)](../man1/unlink.1.html), [link(2)](../man2/link.2.html), [mknod(2)](../man2/mknod.2.html), [open(2)](../man2/open.2.html), [rename(2)](../man2/rename.2.html), [rmdir(2)](../man2/rmdir.2.html),
   [unlink(2)](../man2/unlink.2.html), [mkfifo(3)](../man3/mkfifo.3.html), [symlink(7)](../man7/symlink.7.html)

COLOPHON top

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   man-pages@man7.org

Linux man-pages 6.10 2024-07-23 remove(3)

Pages that refer to this page:unlink(2), stdio(3), symlink(7)