crypto_free_ahash(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 crypto_free_ahash(9) — Kernel API Manual 💅

okok so welcome to the kernel API manual page for crypto_free_ahash, bestie ✨ this one lives in section 9, it's a Kernel API Manual thing, and it's honestly short and sweet — the cleanup queen of the ahash world 👑

🌸 NAME 🌸

crypto_free_ahash — zeroize and free the ahash handle 🎀

like, it wipes the secrets and then yeets the handle. two jobs, does both 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

void crypto_free_ahash (struct crypto_ahash *tfm );

that's it. that's the whole signature. no weird extra args, no drama, we love a clean prototype 🫶

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

  • tfm — the cipher handle that's getting freed 💀 she's done her service, let her rest

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so here's the tea: if tfm is a NULL pointer or an error pointer, this function does nothing. literally nothing. just vibes and returns 🧚 no crash, no boom, no "not me dereferencing a bad pointer" moment. it's giving safe-to-call, iykyk 👑

otherwise? it zeroizes and frees the ahash handle. zeroize first, then free — because leaving key material lying around in freed memory is not the move, no cap 🔥

lowkey a great reminder that cleanup paths should always be this forgiving — checking for NULL and error pointers before doing anything is iconic defensive-programming behavior and you should absolutely steal it 😭

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

the whole extended friend group, in order, no one left out 💜

and that's the whole page, bestie, you ate that 🍓 this little beauty ships out of ./include/crypto, dated October 2026, and it answers to the name crypto_free_ahash(9) — mwah 💋 go free some handles responsibly 💅✨

📦 where this page comes from