---
name: "mkfifo"
section: "1"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "openbsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/mkfifo"
---

# mkfifo(1)

make FIFOs

## NAME

**mkfifo** – make FIFOs

## SYNOPSIS

**mkfifo** \[**-m** *mode*\] *fifo\_name* *...*

## DESCRIPTION

**mkfifo** creates the FIFOs requested, in the order specified, using mode 0666 modified by the current [umask(2)](/umask/2.md). It requires write permission in the parent directory.

The options are as follows:

- **-m** *mode*

  Set the file permission bits of newly created FIFOs to *mode*. The mode argument can be in any of the formats specified to the [chmod(1)](/chmod/1.md) utility. If a symbolic mode is specified, the operators ‘+’ and ‘-’ are interpreted relative to an initial mode of “a=rw”.

## EXIT STATUS

The **mkfifo** utility exits 0 on success, and \>0 if an error occurs.

## SEE ALSO

[mkdir(1)](/mkdir/1.md), [rm(1)](/rm/1.md), [mkfifo(2)](/mkfifo/2.md), [mknod(8)](/mknod/8.md)

## STANDARDS

The **mkfifo** utility is compliant with the IEEE Std 1003.1-2008 (“POSIX.1”) specification.

## HISTORY

The **mkfifo** command appeared in 4.3BSD-Reno.