---
name: "authbind-helper"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "authbind"
version: "2.2.0"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/authbind-helper"
---

# authbind-helper(8)

helper program to bind sockets to privileged ports without root

## NAME

authbind-helper - helper program to bind sockets to privileged ports without root

## SYNOPSIS

**/usr/lib/authbind/helper** *addr4-hex port-hex* **\<***socket*\
 **/usr/lib/authbind/helper** *addr6-hex port-hex 6* **\<***socket*

## DESCRIPTION

**helper** is the program used by **libauthbind**, which is in turn used by **authbind** to allow programs which do not or should not run as root to bind to low-numbered ports in a controlled way.  See [**authbind**(1)](/authbind/1.md).

It may also be used standalone, i.e. without assistance from **authbind**. Its standard input should be a TCP/IP socket, and it should be passed two or three arguments.

The arguments are the address and port number, respectively, to which the caller desires that the socket be bound, and the address family (ommitted for IPv4; the fixed string **6** for IPv6). *addr4-hex* and *port-hex* should be hex strings, *without* leading **0x**, of exactly the right length (8 and 4 digits, respectively), being a pair of hex digits for each byte in the address or port number when expressed in host byte order.  For example, the port argument is the result of something like **sprintf(arg,** **"%04X",** **sin.sin\_port)**. *addr6-hex* should be a string of 32 hex digits, being a pair for each byte in the address, in network byte order.

## EXIT STATUS

**helper** will exit with code 0 on success.

If possible, **helper** will return an appropriate **errno** value as its exit status.  If this is not possible it may exit with status 255 or with an exit status corresponding to **ENOSYS** (*Function not implemented*).

## ACCESS CONTROL

See [**authbind**(1)](/authbind/1.md) for details of the access control regime implemented by **helper**.

## SEE ALSO

[**authbind**(1)](/authbind/1.md), [**bind**(2)](/bind/2.md)

## AUTHOR

**authbind** and this manpage were written by Ian Jackson.  They are Copyright (C)1998,2012 by him and released under the GNU General Public Licence; there is NO WARRANTY.  See **/usr/doc/authbind/copyright** and **/usr/doc/copyright/GPL** for details.