free_pages(9)

💖 free_pages(9) 💖

okay so real talk, bestie — you're reading the free_pages page from the Kernel API Manual, and honestly? it's a whole vibe. let's get into it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

free_pages — frees pages that were allocated with __get_free_pages(). that's it, that's the whole job, and she does it beautifully 💅

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

void free_pages (unsigned long addr , unsigned int order );

look at her. two args. clean. iconic. ✨

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🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

• addr — the virtual address tied to a page that came back from __get_free_pages. like, the actual address you got handed. don't get cute with it 💖
• order — the order of the allocation. yes, the same one. you gotta tell her how big the thing was, she's not psychic 😭

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so free_pages behaves the same as __free_pages — literally same energy, same result. the whole point of this one is: you use it when you only have a valid virtual address. that's your situation? she's your girl. 🌈

but listen — if you've got the page itself (like, the struct page), do not come here. call __free_pages instead. matching the right function to the thing you're actually holding is the whole game, ngl. 🔥

💀 seriously, check what you're holding first. virtual address → free_pages. page → __free_pages. don't mix them up, bestie.

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

kernel file ./mm/page_alloc.c, plus the whole friend group:

• __get_pfnblock_flags_mask(9)
• get_pfnblock_bit(9)
• get_pfnblock_migratetype(9)
• __set_pfnblock_flags_mask(9)
• set_pfnblock_bit(9)
• clear_pfnblock_bit(9)
• set_pageblock_migratetype(9)
• __move_freepages_block_isolate(9)
• __putback_isolated_page(9)
• __free_pages(9)
• alloc_pages_exact(9)
• alloc_pages_exact_nid(9)
• free_pages_exact(9)
• nr_free_zone_pages(9)
• nr_free_buffer_pages(9)
• find_next_best_node(9)
• free_reserved_pages(9)
• setup_per_zone_wmarks(9)
• __free_contig_range(9)
• alloc_contig_frozen_range(9)
• alloc_contig_range(9)
• alloc_contig_frozen_pages(9)
• alloc_contig_pages(9)
• free_contig_frozen_range(9)
• free_contig_range(9)
• alloc_pages_nolock(9)

like, that's the group chat. go say hi 🧚

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mwah 💋 this page came from ./mm, dated October 2026, and it's still signed free_pages(9) — go free responsibly, bestie 🍓