KEYCTL(3)

💖 KEYCTL(3) — Linux Key Management Calls 💖

okay bestie, sit down, we're talking about keyctl(3) — the manual page for all the keyctl_*() key management wrappers. yes it's a lot of functions. yes we're gonna get through them all. grab a boba 🧋

✨ NAME ✨

keyctl_*() — key management function wrappers

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

so the keyctl() system call is basically a multiplexor, right? one syscall, a whole bunch of key management functions hiding inside it. it's giving one girlboss, many jobs 💅

and the way you're supposed to use it is not by poking the raw syscall yourself — you go through the wrappers in the libkeyutils library. that's the move.

first, to get these functions compiled into your thing, include the keyutils header file:

#include <keyutils.h>

and then (this is the part everyone forgets, no cap) you gotta tell the linker to actually link the library in:

-lkeyutils

like, you can't just declare it and hope. the linker needs to know. 🔥

👑 KEYCTL FUNCTIONS 👑

here's the whole squad, alphabetical, every single one of them, don't skip a single icon:

• keyctl_assume_authority(3)
• keyctl_chown(3)
• keyctl_capabilities(3)
• keyctl_clear(3)
• keyctl_describe(3)
• keyctl_describe_alloc(3)
• keyctl_dh_compute(3)
• keyctl_dh_compute_alloc(3)
• keyctl_get_keyring_ID(3)
• keyctl_get_persistent(3)
• keyctl_get_security(3)
• keyctl_get_security_alloc(3)
• keyctl_instantiate(3)
• keyctl_instantiate_iov(3)
• keyctl_invalidate(3)
• keyctl_join_session_keyring(3)
• keyctl_link(3)
• keyctl_move(3)
• keyctl_negate(3)
• keyctl_pkey_decrypt(3)
• keyctl_pkey_encrypt(3)
• keyctl_pkey_query(3)
• keyctl_pkey_sign(3)
• keyctl_pkey_verify(3)
• keyctl_read(3)
• keyctl_read_alloc(3)
• keyctl_reject(3)
• keyctl_restrict_keyring(3)
• keyctl_revoke(3)
• keyctl_search(3)
• keyctl_session_to_parent(3)
• keyctl_set_reqkey_keyring(3)
• keyctl_set_timeout(3)
• keyctl_setperm(3)
• keyctl_unlink(3)
• keyctl_update(3)
• keyctl_watch_key(3)

thirty-seven of them, bestie. the way that's a whole roster 😭 each one has its own page, go read them, i'll wait 🫶

🎀 UTILITY FUNCTIONS 🎀

and then there's the little helper crew — not keyctl wrappers exactly, just useful lil guys doing useful lil things:

• find_key_by_type_and_name(3)
• recursive_key_scan(3)
• recursive_session_key_scan(3)

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

go peek at these when you're done here:

• keyctl(1)
• add_key(2)
• keyctl(2)
• request_key(2)
• keyrings(7)
• keyutils(7)

lowkey if you're reading this whole page you're already doing better than 90% of people who just cargo-cult -lkeyutils into their Makefile and pray 🙈

and that's the whole vibe check, bestie ✨ this page is from the Linux crew — source/version vibe is Linux, and it was dated 21 Feb 2014. iconic behavior, honestly. go forth and manage those keys 👑💖