free_pages_exact(9)

💖 free_pages_exact(9) 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the kernel API manual — this one's free_pages_exact(9) and it's literally the cleanup queen 👑. she's the counterpart to alloc_pages_exact(), and honestly? every main character needs their other half. 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

free_pages_exact — release memory allocated via alloc_pages_exact()

like, it's the undo button. the "nvm take it back" of the page allocator. 🎀

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

void free_pages_exact (void *virt , size_t size );

no cap, that's the whole signature. two args, zero drama (okay maybe a little drama, it's kernel memory). 💅

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• virt — the value returned by alloc_pages_exact. like, the exact same pointer you got handed back. don't be out here freelancing with a different one 🙈
• size — size of allocation, same value as passed to alloc_pages_exact. the same value, bestie. matching set. periodt. ✨

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🧚 DESCRIPTION 🧚

Release the memory allocated by a previous call to alloc_pages_exact.

that's it, that's the vibe. you allocated it, now you're giving it back — a full circle moment. it's giving responsible memory management, it's giving no leaks, it's giving icon behavior. 🌈

lowkey important: this frees what alloc_pages_exact() handed you — so pair them up properly, iykyk. 💜

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

the whole friend group, in Kernel file ./mm/page_alloc.c:

• __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)
• free_pages(9)
• alloc_pages_exact(9)
• alloc_pages_exact_nid(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, it's a whole roster. mingle, bestie. 🍓

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and that's the page!! 🎀 dropped from ./mm, dated October 2026, signed free_pages_exact(9) — mwah, go free some pages responsibly, love u 💖✨🦋