ecc_gen_privkey(9)

💅 ecc_gen_privkey(9) — the Kernel API Manual, but make it make sense

okay bestie, so this is a page from the Kernel API Manual and honestly? it's a little baddie. let me walk you through it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

ecc_gen_privkey — generates an ECC private key.

and like, what is that key, you ask? it's a random integer in the range 0 < random < n, where n is a prime that is the order of the cyclic subgroup generated by the distinguished point G. yes girl, the math is mathing. 🔥

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int ecc_gen_privkey (unsigned int curve_id , unsigned int ndigits , u64
*private_key );

three args, one int back. iconic signature, no notes. 💅

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• curve_id — the id representing the curve to use. literally telling it which curve we're on, bestie 🌈
• ndigits — the curve's number of digits. that's the count, periodt 🔢
• private_key — buffer for storing the generated private key. it's giving "put the key here" ✨

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👑 RETURN 👑

• 0 — slay 💖 the private key was generated successfully.
• a negative value — ugh 😭 an error occurred.

that's it. zero or negative. no in-between, no "maybe", fr fr.

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🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

so you're in the kernel file ./include/crypto/internal/ecc.h — and while you're here, the whole friend group is right there too:

• ecc_swap_digits(9)
• ecc_digits_from_bytes(9)
• ecc_is_key_valid(9)
• ecc_make_pub_key(9)
• crypto_ecdh_shared_secret(9)
• ecc_is_pubkey_valid_partial(9)
• ecc_is_pubkey_valid_full(9)
• vli_is_zero(9)
• vli_cmp(9)
• vli_sub(9)
• vli_from_be64(9)
• vli_from_le64(9)
• vli_mod_inv(9)
• vli_mod_mult_slow(9)
• vli_num_bits(9)
• ecc_alloc_point(9)
• ecc_free_point(9)
• ecc_point_is_zero(9)
• ecc_point_mult_shamir(9)

go read them too, iykyk 💜

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ok that's the whole page and not me being dramatic but it ate. no cap. 🍓

alright bestie, that's a wrap — courtesy of ./include/crypto/internal, dated October 2026, and yeah, the page is literally ecc_gen_privkey(9). main character energy from start to finish 🧚‍♀️⭐