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

# gnu\_get\_libc\_version(3)

get glibc version and release

## NAME

gnu\_get\_libc\_version, gnu\_get\_libc\_release - get glibc version and release

## LIBRARY

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

## SYNOPSIS

```
#include <gnu/libc-version.h>
```

**const char \*gnu\_get\_libc\_version(void);** **const char \*gnu\_get\_libc\_release(void);**

## DESCRIPTION

The function **gnu\_get\_libc\_version**() returns a string that identifies the glibc version available on the system.

The function **gnu\_get\_libc\_release**() returns a string indicating the release status of the glibc version available on the system. This will be a string such as *stable*.

## ATTRIBUTES

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

| | | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Interface** | **Attribute** | **Value** |
| **gnu\_get\_libc\_version**(), **gnu\_get\_libc\_release**() | Thread safety | MT-Safe |

## STANDARDS

GNU.

## HISTORY

glibc 2.1.

## EXAMPLES

When run, the program below will produce output such as the following:

```
$ ./a.out
GNU libc version: 2.8
GNU libc release: stable
```

### Program source

```
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <gnu/libc-version.h>
int
main(void)
{
    printf("GNU libc version: %s\n", gnu_get_libc_version());
    printf("GNU libc release: %s\n", gnu_get_libc_release());
    exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
}
```

## SEE ALSO

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