sysconf(3) Library Functions Manual sysconf(3)
NAME
sysconf - get configuration information at run time
LIBRARY
Standard C library (libc, -lc)
SYNOPSIS
#include <unistd.h>
long sysconf(int name);
DESCRIPTION
POSIX allows an application to test at compile or run time whether cer-
tain options are supported, or what the value is of certain configurable
constants or limits.
At compile time this is done by including <unistd.h> and/or <limits.h>
and testing the value of certain macros.
At run time, one can ask for numerical values using the present function
sysconf(). One can ask for numerical values that may depend on the
filesystem in which a file resides using fpathconf(3) and pathconf(3).
One can ask for string values using confstr(3).
The values obtained from these functions are system configuration con-
stants. They do not change during the lifetime of a process.
For options, typically, there is a constant _POSIX_FOO that may be de-
fined in <unistd.h>. If it is undefined, one should ask at run time.
If it is defined to -1, then the option is not supported. If it is de-
fined to 0, then relevant functions and headers exist, but one has to
ask at run time what degree of support is available. If it is defined
to a value other than -1 or 0, then the option is supported. Usually
the value (such as 200112L) indicates the year and month of the POSIX
revision describing the option. glibc uses the value 1 to indicate sup-
port as long as the POSIX revision has not been published yet. The
sysconf() argument will be _SC_FOO. For a list of options, see posixop-
tions(7).
For variables or limits, typically, there is a constant _FOO, maybe de-
fined in <limits.h>, or _POSIX_FOO, maybe defined in <unistd.h>. The
constant will not be defined if the limit is unspecified. If the con-
stant is defined, it gives a guaranteed value, and a greater value might
actually be supported. If an application wants to take advantage of
values which may change between systems, a call to sysconf() can be
made. The sysconf() argument will be _SC_FOO.
POSIX.1 variables
We give the name of the variable, the name of the sysconf() argument
used to inquire about its value, and a short description.
First, the POSIX.1 compatible values.
ARG_MAX - _SC_ARG_MAX
The maximum length of the arguments to the exec(3) family of
functions. Must not be less than _POSIX_ARG_MAX (4096).
CHILD_MAX - _SC_CHILD_MAX
The maximum number of simultaneous processes per user ID. Must
not be less than _POSIX_CHILD_MAX (25).
HOST_NAME_MAX - _SC_HOST_NAME_MAX
Maximum length of a hostname, not including the terminating null
byte, as returned by gethostname(2). Must not be less than
_POSIX_HOST_NAME_MAX (255).
LOGIN_NAME_MAX - _SC_LOGIN_NAME_MAX
Maximum length of a login name, including the terminating null
byte. Must not be less than _POSIX_LOGIN_NAME_MAX (9).
NGROUPS_MAX - _SC_NGROUPS_MAX
Maximum number of supplementary group IDs.
clock ticks - _SC_CLK_TCK
The number of clock ticks per second. The corresponding variable
is obsolete. It was of course called CLK_TCK. (Note: the macro
CLOCKS_PER_SEC does not give information: it must equal 1000000.)
OPEN_MAX - _SC_OPEN_MAX
The maximum number of files that a process can have open at any
time. Must not be less than _POSIX_OPEN_MAX (20).
PAGESIZE - _SC_PAGESIZE
Size of a page in bytes. Must not be less than 1.
PAGE_SIZE - _SC_PAGE_SIZE
A synonym for PAGESIZE/_SC_PAGESIZE. (Both PAGESIZE and
PAGE_SIZE are specified in POSIX.)
RE_DUP_MAX - _SC_RE_DUP_MAX
The number of repeated occurrences of a BRE permitted by
regexec(3) and regcomp(3). Must not be less than
_POSIX2_RE_DUP_MAX (255).
STREAM_MAX - _SC_STREAM_MAX
The maximum number of streams that a process can have open at any
time. If defined, it has the same value as the standard C macro
FOPEN_MAX. Must not be less than _POSIX_STREAM_MAX (8).
SYMLOOP_MAX - _SC_SYMLOOP_MAX
The maximum number of symbolic links seen in a pathname before
resolution returns ELOOP. Must not be less than _POSIX_SYM-
LOOP_MAX (8).
TTY_NAME_MAX - _SC_TTY_NAME_MAX
The maximum length of terminal device name, including the termi-
nating null byte. Must not be less than _POSIX_TTY_NAME_MAX (9).
TZNAME_MAX - _SC_TZNAME_MAX
The maximum number of bytes in a timezone name. Must not be less
than _POSIX_TZNAME_MAX (6).
_POSIX_VERSION - _SC_VERSION
indicates the year and month the POSIX.1 standard was approved in
the format YYYYMML; the value 199009L indicates the Sept. 1990
revision.
POSIX.2 variables
Next, the POSIX.2 values, giving limits for utilities.
BC_BASE_MAX - _SC_BC_BASE_MAX
indicates the maximum obase value accepted by the bc(1) utility.
BC_DIM_MAX - _SC_BC_DIM_MAX
indicates the maximum value of elements permitted in an array by
bc(1).
BC_SCALE_MAX - _SC_BC_SCALE_MAX
indicates the maximum scale value allowed by bc(1).
BC_STRING_MAX - _SC_BC_STRING_MAX
indicates the maximum length of a string accepted by bc(1).
COLL_WEIGHTS_MAX - _SC_COLL_WEIGHTS_MAX
indicates the maximum numbers of weights that can be assigned to
an entry of the LC_COLLATE order keyword in the locale definition
file.
EXPR_NEST_MAX - _SC_EXPR_NEST_MAX
is the maximum number of expressions which can be nested within
parentheses by expr(1).
LINE_MAX - _SC_LINE_MAX
The maximum length of a utility's input line, either from stan-
dard input or from a file. This includes space for a trailing
newline.
RE_DUP_MAX - _SC_RE_DUP_MAX
The maximum number of repeated occurrences of a regular expres-
sion when the interval notation \{m,n\} is used.
POSIX2_VERSION - _SC_2_VERSION
indicates the version of the POSIX.2 standard in the format of
YYYYMML.
POSIX2_C_DEV - _SC_2_C_DEV
indicates whether the POSIX.2 C language development facilities
are supported.
POSIX2_FORT_DEV - _SC_2_FORT_DEV
indicates whether the POSIX.2 FORTRAN development utilities are
supported.
POSIX2_FORT_RUN - _SC_2_FORT_RUN
indicates whether the POSIX.2 FORTRAN run-time utilities are sup-
ported.
_POSIX2_LOCALEDEF - _SC_2_LOCALEDEF
indicates whether the POSIX.2 creation of locales via lo-
caledef(1) is supported.
POSIX2_SW_DEV - _SC_2_SW_DEV
indicates whether the POSIX.2 software development utilities op-
tion is supported.
These values also exist, but may not be standard.
- _SC_PHYS_PAGES
The number of pages of physical memory. Note that it is possible
for the product of this value and the value of _SC_PAGESIZE to
overflow.
- _SC_AVPHYS_PAGES
The number of currently available pages of physical memory.
- _SC_NPROCESSORS_CONF
The number of processors configured. See also
get_nprocs_conf(3).
- _SC_NPROCESSORS_ONLN
The number of processors currently online (available). See also
get_nprocs_conf(3).
RETURN VALUE
The return value of sysconf() is one of the following:
• On error, -1 is returned and errno is set to indicate the error (for
example, EINVAL, indicating that name is invalid).
• If name corresponds to a maximum or minimum limit, and that limit is
indeterminate, -1 is returned and errno is not changed. (To distin-
guish an indeterminate limit from an error, set errno to zero before
the call, and then check whether errno is nonzero when -1 is re-
turned.)
• If name corresponds to an option, a positive value is returned if the
option is supported, and -1 is returned if the option is not sup-
ported.
• Otherwise, the current value of the option or limit is returned.
This value will not be more restrictive than the corresponding value
that was described to the application in <unistd.h> or <limits.h>
when the application was compiled.
ERRORS
EINVAL name is invalid.
ATTRIBUTES
For an explanation of the terms used in this section, see attributes(7).
┌────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────┬─────────────┐
│ Interface │ Attribute │ Value │
├────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────┼─────────────┤
│ sysconf() │ Thread safety │ MT-Safe env │
└────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────┴─────────────┘
STANDARDS
POSIX.1-2008.
HISTORY
POSIX.1-2001.
BUGS
It is difficult to use ARG_MAX because it is not specified how much of
the argument space for exec(3) is consumed by the user's environment
variables.
Some returned values may be huge; they are not suitable for allocating
memory.
SEE ALSO
bc(1), expr(1), getconf(1), locale(1), confstr(3), fpathconf(3), path-
conf(3), posixoptions(7)
Linux man-pages 6.9.1 2024-06-15 sysconf(3)
Generated by dwww version 1.16 on Tue Dec 16 04:04:57 CET 2025.