PAM_INFO(3)

💖 PAM_INFO(3) 💖

okay so bestie, welcome to the PAM_INFO page from the Linux-PAM manual — yes that Linux-PAM, the big one, and this is literally the whole page, so buckle up 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

pam_info, pam_vinfo — display messages to the user 🌸

like, that's it. that's the whole job. they show the user a message. iconic behaviour honestly.

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include <security/pam_ext.h>

int pam_info(pam_handle_t *pamh, const char *fmt, ...);

int pam_vinfo(pam_handle_t *pamh, const char *fmt, va_list args);

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so pam_info prints messages to the user — and how does it do that? through the conversation function. that's the vibe. it doesn't just like, printf into the void, it goes through the proper channel 💅

and pam_vinfo? it does the exact same task as pam_info() — same energy, same mission — the only difference is that it takes a set of arguments that were obtained using the stdarg(3) variable argument list macros. so it's the v-flavoured twin. you know the type. 👑

✨ RETURN VALUES ✨

• PAM_BUF_ERR — memory buffer error 😭 the buffer said no.
• PAM_CONV_ERR — conversation failure 💀 the convo did not go well, bestie.
• PAM_SUCCESS — transaction was successful created ✨ slay, it worked.
• PAM_SYSTEM_ERR — system error 🙈 the system is being a little dramatic.

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

• pam(8) 🫶

✨ STANDARDS ✨

real talk: pam_info and pam_vinfo are Linux-PAM extensions — so like, they're our thing, not some portability guarantee everywhere else. iykyk 🌈

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ngl bestie, if you're calling these, double-check your return value. PAM_SUCCESS hits different when the transaction was successful created 💖

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and that's the page!! brought to you by Linux-PAM, dated 07/08/2026 — go forth and print your little messages, you absolute main character 🔥👑💜