iconvconfig(8)

✨ iconvconfig — the iconv module configuration cache maker 💅

okay bestie so iconvconfig is an 8 (system manager's manual) situation, and it literally just builds a lil cache so your character-set conversions stop being slow. that's the whole vibe. let's get into it 🫶

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🌸 NAME 🌸

iconvconfig — create iconv module configuration cache ✨

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

iconvconfig [options] [directory]...

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so here's the tea 🍓: the iconv(3) function is out here internally using gconv modules to convert to and from a character set. and to figure out which modules a given conversion needs, it reads a configuration file.

but bestie… loading and parsing that configuration file every single time? not to be dramatic but it would slow down every program that uses iconv(3). so the whole game is: a caching mechanism is employed. iconic behavior honestly 👑

the iconvconfig program reads iconv module configuration files and writes a fast-loading gconv module configuration cache file. that's its whole job. it ate and left no crumbs.

and okay, extra lore 🌈: besides the system-provided gconv modules, you (yes you) can specify your own custom gconv module directories using the environment variable GCONV_PATH. BUT — and this is the catch, bestie, listen — iconv module configuration caching is used only when the environment variable GCONV_PATH is not set. so if you've got GCONV_PATH set, no cache for you. that's just how it is 💅

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✨ OPTIONS ✨

• --nostdlib — don't go looking in the system default gconv directory at all, only the directories you handed over on the command line. strict queen energy 👑
• --output=outputfile, -o outputfile — use outputfile for output instead of the system default cache location. want your cache somewhere else? say less 💫
• --prefix=pathname — set the prefix that gets prepended to the system pathnames. peep the FILES section below for the deets 👀 by default the prefix is empty. so if you set the prefix to foo, the gconv module configuration would be read from foo/usr/lib/gconv/gconv-modules and the cache would be written to foo/usr/lib/gconv/gconv-modules.cache. cute, right? 🎀
• --help, -? — prints a usage summary and exits. classic 🦋
• --usage — prints a short usage summary and exits. the lite version ✨
• --version, -V — prints the version number, license, and disclaimer of warranty for iconv. the full legal rundown 😭

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💀 EXIT STATUS 💀

zero on success, nonzero on errors. that's it, that's the whole thing 🙈

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🌈 FILES 🌈

• /usr/lib/gconv — the usual default gconv module path.
• /usr/lib/gconv/gconv-modules — the usual system default gconv module configuration file.
• /usr/lib/gconv/gconv-modules.cache — the usual system gconv module configuration cache.

⭐ heads up bestie: depending on the architecture, those files above may instead be located at directories with the path prefix /usr/lib64. so like, don't come for me if yours lives somewhere else 🫶

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

iconv(1), iconv(3) — go read those too, iykyk 💜

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okay that's the whole page, bestie, you're officially an iconvconfig girlie now 💅 mwah! 💖

this lil masterpiece is from Linux man-pages 6.20, dated 2025-05-17 — yes she's serving system manager's manual realness and we're obsessed 🎀✨