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(unsigned int n, unsigned int size; char ptr[size * n], unsigned int n, unsigned int size);
/* In Solaris watchmalloc.so.1 */ void cfree(size_t n, size_t size; void ptr[size * n], size_t n, size_t size);
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 n 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.