assoc_array_destroy(9)

💖 assoc_array_destroy(9) — Kernel API Manual 💖

okay so bestie, we're in the kernel API manual today and this page is literally about assoc_array_destroy, from section 9 of the manual. it's giving cleanup era ✨ and honestly it's a whole slay. let's get into it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

assoc_array_destroy — destroy an associative array. that's it, that's the vibe 💅

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

void assoc_array_destroy (struct assoc_array *array , const struct
assoc_array_ops *ops );

no cap, that's the whole signature. two args, void return, zero drama ✨

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• array — the array you're about to destroy. like, the actual one. the main character of this operation 👑
• ops — the operations to use. yes you have to hand them over, they're not optional, iykyk 🌸

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💀 DESCRIPTION 💀

okay so this is the part where it gets real. assoc_array_destroy discards all the metadata and frees all the objects in an associative array — every last one, no survivors, periodt 🧹✨

when it's done, the array will be empty and ready to use again. so it's not like you're throwing the array away — it just gets a little factory reset moment and comes back fresh 🦋

and here's the iconic part: this function cannot fail. not "usually doesn't fail", not "fails sometimes" — it cannot fail. ngl that's so refreshing 😭💖

⚠️ but bestie, listen — the caller must prevent all other accesses while this is happening. no exceptions. this function makes no attempt to adjust pointers gracefully to let RCU readlock-holding accesses keep going. so if somebody else is holding an RCU readlock and reading along, that's on you, not on the function 🙈💀

🌈 on the flip side, here's the good news: no memory allocation is required. so the memory situation is calm, no stress, eat 🍓

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🌟 SEE ALSO 🌟

the whole friend group, honestly — plus the kernel file where all the lore lives 👑

• kernel file ./lib/assoc_array.c
• assoc_array_iterate(9)
• assoc_array_find(9)
• assoc_array_insert(9)
• assoc_array_insert_set_object(9)
• assoc_array_delete(9)
• assoc_array_clear(9)
• assoc_array_apply_edit(9)
• assoc_array_cancel_edit(9)
• assoc_array_gc(9)

like a whole group chat of assoc_array functions, go say hi 💜

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and that's the page!! 🎀 this one shipped from ./lib in October 2026, and yes it's assoc_array_destroy(9) all the way down. mwah, go free some objects bestie 💋💅🦋