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

# get\_phys\_pages(3)

get total and available physical page counts

## NAME

get\_phys\_pages, get\_avphys\_pages - get total and available physical page counts

## LIBRARY

Standard C library (*libc*, *-lc*)

## SYNOPSIS

```
#include <sys/sysinfo.h>
```

**long get\_phys\_pages(void);** **long get\_avphys\_pages(void);**

## DESCRIPTION

The function **get\_phys\_pages**() returns the total number of physical pages of memory available on the system.

The function **get\_avphys\_pages**() returns the number of currently available physical pages of memory on the system.

## RETURN VALUE

On success, these functions return a nonnegative value as given in DESCRIPTION. On failure, they return -1 and set *errno* to indicate the error.

## ERRORS

- **ENOSYS**

  The system could not provide the required information (possibly because the */proc* filesystem was not mounted).

## STANDARDS

GNU.

## HISTORY

Before glibc 2.23, these functions obtained the required information by scanning the *MemTotal* and *MemFree* fields of */proc/meminfo*. Since glibc 2.23, these functions obtain the required information by calling [**sysinfo**(2)](/sysinfo/2.md).

## NOTES

The following [**sysconf**(3)](/sysconf/3.md) calls provide a portable means of obtaining the same information as the functions described on this page.

```
total_pages = sysconf(_SC_PHYS_PAGES);    /* total pages */
avl_pages = sysconf(_SC_AVPHYS_PAGES);    /* available pages */
```

## EXAMPLES

The following example shows how **get\_phys\_pages**() and **get\_avphys\_pages**() can be used.

```
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <sys/sysinfo.h>
int
main(void)
{
    printf("This system has %ld pages of physical memory and "
            "%ld pages of physical memory available.\n",
            get_phys_pages(), get_avphys_pages());
    exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
}
```

## SEE ALSO

[**sysconf**(3)](/sysconf/3.md)