kernfs_create_link(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

okay so real quick, bestie: this is a page from the Kernel API Manual, section 9 (the kernel API girlies, you know the vibe 👑), and it's all about one tiny little function that makes a symlink in kernfs. that's it. that's the whole job. and honestly? she ate. 🍓

✨ NAME ✨

kernfs_create_link — create a symlink 🎀

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

struct kernfs_node * kernfs_create_link (struct kernfs_node *parent ,
   const char *name , struct kernfs_node *target );

no cap, that's the whole signature. look at her. gorgeous. 💖

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

  • parent — the directory you're gonna drop this symlink into. like, the vibes-holder. the home base. 🏠
  • name — what the symlink is gonna be called. her name. her whole identity, lowkey. 🌟
  • target — the node the symlink actually points at. the main character she's linking to, fr fr. 🔥

💫 RETURN 💫

  • if everything slays: you get the created node back. success. iconic. 🎉
  • if something goes wrong: you get an ERR_PTR value. that's the kernel's way of saying "bestie… no 😭". check it, don't ignore it.
  • also important, and I need you to hear me on this one: ownership of the link matches ownership of the target. like, she copies her target's fit. that's the rule. 👑
ngl, if you skipped the ERR_PTR check, that's not a vibe check you're gonna pass 💀

🔍 SEE ALSO 🔍

  • Kernel file ./fs/kernfs/symlink.c — go read the source, iykfyk, it's giving transparency 🌈

that's the whole page, bestie, you're basically a kernfs girlie now 💅✨

mwah 💋 — this little love letter to symlinks came to you from ./fs/kernfs, dated October 2026, straight out of the Kernel API Manual, section 9. go forth and link responsibly 🫶🎀

📦 where this page comes from