atomic64_dec_return_relaxed(9)

💅 atomic64_dec_return_relaxed(9) — the Kernel API Manual, bestie edition

okay so like. you know that one dude at the party who decrements the counter by exactly one and then tells you the new total? that's this function. it's from the Linux Kernel API Manual and honestly it's giving "quietly does one thing extremely well" ✨

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✨ NAME ✨

atomic64_dec_return_relaxed — atomic decrement, but make it relaxed ordering 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

s64 atomic64_dec_return_relaxed (atomic64_t *v );

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• v — pointer to atomic64_t. literally just a pointer to the thing we're about to decrement. that's it. that's the whole argument. icon behavior honestly 🫶

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So what it does: it atomically updates v to (v - 1) — and it does it with relaxed ordering. atomic, so nobody's gonna sneak in and mess with the value mid-update. relaxed, so we're not doing the whole heavy memory-barrier dance. vibes are chill. 😌

⚠️ Unsafe to use in noinstr code — girl do NOT do it. use raw_atomic64_dec_return_relaxed there instead, fr fr. 🙈

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💖 RETURN 💖

It returns the updated value of v. so like, the new number, post-decrement. not the old one. don't @ me. ✨

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

This is the part where I hold your hand, bestie, because there are a lot of siblings. all of these live in the kernel file ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-instrumented.h. buckle up 💀

the atomic_ girlies 👑

atomic_read(9), atomic_read_acquire(9), atomic_set(9), atomic_set_release(9), atomic_add(9), atomic_add_return(9), atomic_add_return_acquire(9), atomic_add_return_release(9), atomic_add_return_relaxed(9), atomic_fetch_add(9), atomic_fetch_add_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_add_release(9), atomic_fetch_add_relaxed(9), atomic_sub(9), atomic_sub_return(9), atomic_sub_return_acquire(9), atomic_sub_return_release(9), atomic_sub_return_relaxed(9), atomic_fetch_sub(9), atomic_fetch_sub_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_sub_release(9), atomic_fetch_sub_relaxed(9), atomic_inc(9), atomic_inc_return(9), atomic_inc_return_acquire(9), atomic_inc_return_release(9), atomic_inc_return_relaxed(9), atomic_fetch_inc(9), atomic_fetch_inc_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_inc_release(9), atomic_fetch_inc_relaxed(9), atomic_dec(9), atomic_dec_return(9), atomic_dec_return_acquire(9), atomic_dec_return_release(9), atomic_dec_return_relaxed(9), atomic_fetch_dec(9), atomic_fetch_dec_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_dec_release(9), atomic_fetch_dec_relaxed(9), atomic_and(9), atomic_fetch_and(9), atomic_fetch_and_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_and_release(9), atomic_fetch_and_relaxed(9), atomic_andnot(9), atomic_fetch_andnot(9), atomic_fetch_andnot_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_andnot_release(9), atomic_fetch_andnot_relaxed(9), atomic_or(9), atomic_fetch_or(9), atomic_fetch_or_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_or_release(9), atomic_fetch_or_relaxed(9), atomic_xor(9), atomic_fetch_xor(9), atomic_fetch_xor_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_xor_release(9), atomic_fetch_xor_relaxed(9), atomic_xchg(9), atomic_xchg_acquire(9), atomic_xchg_release(9), atomic_xchg_relaxed(9), atomic_cmpxchg(9), atomic_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic_cmpxchg_release(9), atomic_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic_try_cmpxchg(9), atomic_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic_try_cmpxchg_release(9), atomic_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic_sub_and_test(9), atomic_dec_and_test(9), atomic_inc_and_test(9), atomic_add_negative(9), atomic_add_negative_acquire(9), atomic_add_negative_release(9), atomic_add_negative_relaxed(9), atomic_fetch_add_unless(9), atomic_add_unless(9), atomic_inc_not_zero(9), atomic_inc_unless_negative(9), atomic_dec_unless_positive(9), atomic_dec_if_positive(9)

the atomic64_ main characters 🌈 (yes we're literally in this family, hi)

atomic64_read(9), atomic64_read_acquire(9), atomic64_set(9), atomic64_set_release(9), atomic64_add(9), atomic64_add_return(9), atomic64_add_return_acquire(9), atomic64_add_return_release(9), atomic64_add_return_relaxed(9), atomic64_fetch_add(9), atomic64_fetch_add_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_add_release(9), atomic64_fetch_add_relaxed(9), atomic64_sub(9), atomic64_sub_return(9), atomic64_sub_return_acquire(9), atomic64_sub_return_release(9), atomic64_sub_return_relaxed(9), atomic64_fetch_sub(9), atomic64_fetch_sub_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_sub_release(9), atomic64_fetch_sub_relaxed(9), atomic64_inc(9), atomic64_inc_return(9), atomic64_inc_return_acquire(9), atomic64_inc_return_release(9), atomic64_inc_return_relaxed(9), atomic64_fetch_inc(9), atomic64_fetch_inc_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_inc_release(9), atomic64_fetch_inc_relaxed(9), atomic64_dec(9), atomic64_dec_return(9), atomic64_dec_return_acquire(9), atomic64_dec_return_release(9), atomic64_fetch_dec(9), atomic64_fetch_dec_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_dec_release(9), atomic64_fetch_dec_relaxed(9), atomic64_and(9), atomic64_fetch_and(9), atomic64_fetch_and_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_and_release(9), atomic64_fetch_and_relaxed(9), atomic64_andnot(9), atomic64_fetch_andnot(9), atomic64_fetch_andnot_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_andnot_release(9), atomic64_fetch_andnot_relaxed(9), atomic64_or(9), atomic64_fetch_or(9), atomic64_fetch_or_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_or_release(9), atomic64_fetch_or_relaxed(9), atomic64_xor(9), atomic64_fetch_xor(9), atomic64_fetch_xor_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_xor_release(9), atomic64_fetch_xor_relaxed(9), atomic64_xchg(9), atomic64_xchg_acquire(9), atomic64_xchg_release(9), atomic64_xchg_relaxed(9), atomic64_cmpxchg(9), atomic64_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic64_cmpxchg_release(9), atomic64_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic64_try_cmpxchg(9), atomic64_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic64_try_cmpxchg_release(9), atomic64_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic64_sub_and_test(9), atomic64_dec_and_test(9), atomic64_inc_and_test(9), atomic64_add_negative(9), atomic64_add_negative_acquire(9), atomic64_add_negative_release(9), atomic64_add_negative_relaxed(9), atomic64_fetch_add_unless(9), atomic64_add_unless(9), atomic64_inc_not_zero(9), atomic64_inc_unless_negative(9), atomic64_dec_unless_positive(9), atomic64_dec_if_positive(9)

the atomic_long_ cousins 🧚

atomic_long_read(9), atomic_long_read_acquire(9), atomic_long_set(9), atomic_long_set_release(9), atomic_long_add(9), atomic_long_add_return(9), atomic_long_add_return_acquire(9), atomic_long_add_return_release(9), atomic_long_add_return_relaxed(9), atomic_long_fetch_add(9), atomic_long_fetch_add_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_add_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_add_relaxed(9), atomic_long_sub(9), atomic_long_sub_return(9), atomic_long_sub_return_acquire(9), atomic_long_sub_return_release(9), atomic_long_sub_return_relaxed(9), atomic_long_fetch_sub(9), atomic_long_fetch_sub_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_sub_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_sub_relaxed(9), atomic_long_inc(9), atomic_long_inc_return(9), atomic_long_inc_return_acquire(9), atomic_long_inc_return_release(9), atomic_long_inc_return_relaxed(9), atomic_long_fetch_inc(9), atomic_long_fetch_inc_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_inc_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_inc_relaxed(9), atomic_long_dec(9), atomic_long_dec_return(9), atomic_long_dec_return_acquire(9), atomic_long_dec_return_release(9), atomic_long_dec_return_relaxed(9), atomic_long_fetch_dec(9), atomic_long_fetch_dec_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_dec_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_dec_relaxed(9), atomic_long_and(9), atomic_long_fetch_and(9), atomic_long_fetch_and_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_and_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_and_relaxed(9), atomic_long_andnot(9), atomic_long_fetch_andnot(9), atomic_long_fetch_andnot_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_andnot_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_andnot_relaxed(9), atomic_long_or(9), atomic_long_fetch_or(9), atomic_long_fetch_or_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_or_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_or_relaxed(9), atomic_long_xor(9), atomic_long_fetch_xor(9), atomic_long_fetch_xor_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_xor_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_xor_relaxed(9), atomic_long_xchg(9), atomic_long_xchg_acquire(9), atomic_long_xchg_release(9), atomic_long_xchg_relaxed(9), atomic_long_cmpxchg(9), atomic_long_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic_long_cmpxchg_release(9), atomic_long_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic_long_try_cmpxchg(9), atomic_long_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic_long_try_cmpxchg_release(9), atomic_long_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic_long_sub_and_test(9), atomic_long_dec_and_test(9), atomic_long_inc_and_test(9), atomic_long_add_negative(9), atomic_long_add_negative_acquire(9), atomic_long_add_negative_release(9), atomic_long_add_negative_relaxed(9), atomic_long_fetch_add_unless(9), atomic_long_add_unless(9), atomic_long_inc_not_zero(9), atomic_long_inc_unless_negative(9), atomic_long_dec_unless_positive(9), atomic_long_dec_if_positive(9)

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and that's the whole page, bestie. go decrement something atomically. responsibly. 💜

./include/linux/atomic · October 2026 · atomic64_dec_return_relaxed(9) — mwah, ily, now close the man page 🎀🦋✨