FIND_KEY_B...PE_AND_NAME(3)

💖 FIND_KEY_B...PE_AND_NAME 💖

ok so bestie, we're in the Linux Key Utility Calls section of the manual, and this page is literally about one function: find_key_by_type_and_name. yes the title is a whole mouthful, we're abbreviating it, don't @ me. 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

find_key_by_type_and_name — find a key by type and name. that's it. that's the whole vibe. 🔑

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <keyutils.h>

key_serial_t find_key_by_type_and_name(const char *type,
    const char *description, key_serial_t destringid);

three arguments, one return value, zero drama. copy it exactly, bestie, the compiler is watching. 👀

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so here's what find_key_by_type_and_name() actually does: it goes looking for a key that has the given type and an exact description (exact, like, no fuzzy matching, no "close enough" — we are not doing vibes-based searching here 💅).

and the way it searches? it's giving main character energy in two acts:

1. first it checks the thread, process and session keyrings that the process is subscribed to.
2. then it checks /proc/keys.

so it's like checking your group chats before you check the archive. 📱✨

and if a key is found — and destringid is not 0 and it specifies a keyring — then guess what? the found key gets linked into it. cute little key adoption moment fr fr. 🫶

⭐ RETURN VALUE ⭐

• the function returns the ID of the key if a key was found 🎉
• or -1 otherwise 😭

that's it. no cap.

🔥 ERRORS 🔥

when it's not slaying, here's why:

• ENOKEY — no key was found, or the keyring you specified is invalid. (either way, nothing's there bestie 💀)
• EKEYEXPIRED — the key or the keyring have expired. time said no. ⌛
• EKEYREVOKED — the key or the keyring have been revoked. it's over, it's been over. 🚫
• EACCES — the key is not accessible, or the keyring exists but is not writable by the calling process. so close and yet so far 🙈

🌈 LINKING 🌈

listen up because this one matters: when you're linking, you gotta pass -lkeyutils to the linker.

no flag, no link, no keys. periodt. 💅

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

go read these next, they're iconic:

• request_key(2)
• keyctl(3)
• keyrings(7)

and that's the whole page, my love — brought to you by the Linux crew, dated 10 Sep 2013, and yeah it's an oldie but she still serves. mwah, go link some keys 💜✨