key_instantiate_and_link(9)

💅 key_instantiate_and_link(9) — Kernel API Manual, but make it cute 💅

✨ NAME ✨

key_instantiate_and_link — instantiate a key and link it into the keyring, periodt. 💖

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

       int key_instantiate_and_link (struct key *key , const void *data ,
       size_t datalen , struct key *keyring , struct key *authkey );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• key — the actual key you’re instantiating, bestie. 🔑
• data — the data to use to instantiate the keyring. ✨
• datalen — the length of data, literally just how long it is. 📏
• keyring — the keyring to create a link in on success (or NULL, no pressure). 🫶
• authkey — the authorisation token permitting instantiation. Like the VIP pass, iykyk. 🎟️

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

Okay so picture this: you have a key chilling in the uninstantiated state, and this function instantiates it using the provided data. Slay. Then, if that works out, it links the key in to the destination keyring — but only if one is supplied. 🎀

If it’s successful, 0 is returned, the authorisation token is revoked, and anyone waiting for the key is woken up. Iconic behaviour, no cap. 🌈

If the key was already instantiated, -EBUSY will be returned. Not me getting told “busy” by the kernel 💀 — anyway, that’s the rule.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

The kernel file ./security/keys/key.c is where the magic lives, and these are the related besties:

• key_alloc(9)
• key_payload_reserve(9)
• key_reject_and_link(9)
• key_put(9)
• key_create_or_update(9)
• key_create(9)
• key_update(9)
• key_revoke(9)
• key_invalidate(9)
• generic_key_instantiate(9)
• register_key_type(9)
• unregister_key_type(9)

source/version who? ./security/keys. date? October 2026. signed off by key_instantiate_and_link(9) — byeee, bestie 💖✨