exit(2)

✨ exit(2) ✨

okay so bestie, we're in the System Calls Manual — section 2, the syscall zone, not the libc-wrapper zone. this one is about the raw kernel call so keep ur eyes peeled for that distinction, iykyk 🫶

---

🌸 NAME 🌸

exit — terminate the calling thread

literally what it says: one thread, gone, bye 💅

---

🎀 LIBRARY 🎀

Standard C library — that's libc, -lc. the classic.

---

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

#include <sys/syscall.h>  /* Definition of SYS_* constants */
#include <unistd.h>

[[noreturn]] long syscall(SYS_exit, int status);

note the [[noreturn]] bestie!! the compiler is TELLING you it never comes back. it's giving "don't even try to plan a sequel" energy 😭

---

🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

exit() terminates the calling thread. that's the whole gig. one thread, off the board 🌈

now here's the part where u gotta pay attention, no cap:

by contrast with _exit(3), the exit() system call terminates only the calling thread. and actions like reparenting child processes or sending SIGCHLD to the parent process — those are performed only if this is the last thread in the thread group. 👑

so like. if ur thread has siblings still vibing in the same thread group, the whole group-keeping stuff does NOT happen yet. it's not the main character of that moment. it's just one thread clocking out. keep that straight and ur golden ⭐

---

💀 RETURN VALUE 💀

exit() does not return.

that's it. that's the whole section. it does not return. not "usually", not "on error" — it does not return. u call it, u don't come back, periodt 💅

---

🌟 STANDARDS 🌟

Linux. 🐧

---

⭐ HISTORY ⭐

Linux. 🐧 (again. the vibes are consistent.)

---

🫶 SEE ALSO 🫶

• exit_group(2) — the one that takes the whole group down with it 👑
• _exit(3)
• exit(3)
• pthread_exit(3)

if u want the deep lore, go read these. they're all little cousins of this page ✨

---

and that's the tea, bestie 🍓 — this page came out of Linux man-pages 6.20, and it's dated 2026-06-05. go forth, terminate threads responsibly, and remember: it really does not return 💖