---
name: "dlerror"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "man-pages"
version: "6.19-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/dlerror"
---

# dlerror(3)

obtain error diagnostic for functions in the dlopen API

## NAME

dlerror - obtain error diagnostic for functions in the dlopen API

## LIBRARY

Dynamic linking library (*libdl*, *-ldl*)

## SYNOPSIS

```
#include <dlfcn.h>
```

**char \*dlerror(void);**

## DESCRIPTION

The **dlerror**() function returns a human-readable, null-terminated string describing the most recent error that occurred from a call to one of the functions in the dlopen API since the last call to **dlerror**(). The returned string does *not* include a trailing newline.

**dlerror**() returns NULL if no errors have occurred since initialization or since it was last called.

## ATTRIBUTES

For an explanation of the terms used in this section, see [**attributes**(7)](/attributes/7.md).

| | | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Interface** | **Attribute** | **Value** |
| **dlerror**() | Thread safety | MT-Safe |

## STANDARDS

POSIX.1-2008.

## HISTORY

glibc 2.0. POSIX.1-2001.

SunOS.

## NOTES

The message returned by **dlerror**() may reside in a statically allocated buffer that is overwritten by subsequent **dlerror**() calls.

## EXAMPLES

See [**dlopen**(3)](/dlopen/3.md).

## SEE ALSO

[**dladdr**(3)](/dladdr/3.md), [**dlinfo**(3)](/dlinfo/3.md), [**dlopen**(3)](/dlopen/3.md), [**dlsym**(3)](/dlsym/3.md)