kref_put_lock(9)

💅 kref_put_lock(9) 💅

Okay bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual — this one is short, but it's giving very specific refcount-with-a-lock energy ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

kref_put_lock — Decrement refcount for object 🎀

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

int kref_put_lock (struct kref *kref , void (*release)(struct kref
*kref) , spinlock_t *lock );

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• kref — the object, bestie. That's the thing we're working with.
• release — pointer to the function that will clean up the object when the last reference to the object is released. Like, the final goodbye handler 💖
• lock — the spinlock which protects the release function. It's literally the bodyguard for release 🔥

🌈 DESCRIPTION 🌈

Okay so this variant of kref_lock calls the release function with the lock held. The release function will release the lock. That's the whole situation — lock held while release does its thing, then release unlocks it. No cap 🫶

⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

Kernel file ./include/linux/kref.h — plus these iconic references, iykyk:

• kref_init(9)
• kref_get(9)
• kref_put(9)
• kref_put_mutex(9)
• kref_get_unless_zero(9)

xoxo, signed off by source/version ./include/linux 💖 dated October 2026 💖 all for kref_put_lock(9) 💅✨