---
name: "archive_write_header"
section: "3"
platform: "macos"
package: "libarchive"
version: "167.120.3"
release: "macOS 26.5"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/archive_write_header"
---

# archive\_write\_header(3)

functions for creating archives

## NAME

**archive\_write\_header** - functions for creating archives

## LIBRARY

Streaming Archive Library (libarchive, -larchive)

## SYNOPSIS

**#include \<archive.h\>**\
 *int*\
 **archive\_write\_header**(*struct archive \**, *struct archive\_entry \**);

## DESCRIPTION

Build and write a header using the data in the provided Tn struct archive\_entry structure. See [**archive\_entry**(3)](/archive_entry/3.md) for information on creating and populating Tn struct archive\_entry objects.

## RETURN VALUES

This function returns **ARCHIVE\_OK** on success, or one of the following on error: **ARCHIVE\_RETRY** for operations that might succeed if retried, **ARCHIVE\_WARN** for unusual conditions that do not prevent further operations, and **ARCHIVE\_FATAL** for serious errors that make remaining operations impossible.

## ERRORS

Detailed error codes and textual descriptions are available from the **archive\_errno**() and **archive\_error\_string**() functions.

## SEE ALSO

[**tar**(1)](/tar/1.md), [**archive\_write\_set\_options**(3)](/archive_write_set_options/3.md), [**libarchive**(3)](/libarchive/3.md), [**cpio**(5)](/cpio/5.md), [**mtree**(5)](/mtree/5.md), [**tar**(5)](/tar/5.md)