kstrdup_const(9)

✨ kstrdup_const(9) ✨

okay so bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual entry for kstrdup_const — the function that's like "hmm, do I actually need to copy this string, or can I just point at it and save us all some RAM?" 💅

---

🌸 NAME 🌸

kstrdup_const — conditionally duplicate an existing const string. yes, conditionally. she's picky. 💖

---

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

const char * kstrdup_const (const char *s , gfp_t gfp );

---

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• s — the string to duplicate. the main character of this whole operation 🫶
• gfp — the GFP mask used in the kmalloc call when allocating memory. so basically, how she's allowed to grab memory ✨

---

⭐ NOTE ⭐

bestie pls read this one 😭

Strings allocated by kstrdup_const should be freed by kfree_const and must not be passed to krealloc. like, do not. that's not her job. 💀

---

🔥 RETURN 🔥

Returns the source string if it is in the .rodata section — otherwise it falls back to kstrdup. no cap, that's literally it. 👑

---

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Kernel file ./mm/util.c, plus the whole friend group:

• kfree_const(9)
• __kmemdup_nul(9)
• kstrdup(9)
• kstrndup(9)
• kmemdup(9)
• kmemdup_array(9)
• kvmemdup(9)
• kmemdup_nul(9)
• memdup_user(9)
• vmemdup_user(9)
• strndup_user(9)
• memdup_user_nul(9)
• randomize_page(9)
• __account_locked_vm(9)
• account_locked_vm(9)
• __vmalloc_array(9)
• vmalloc_array(9)
• __vcalloc(9)
• vcalloc(9)
• folio_mapping(9)
• folio_copy(9)
• get_cmdline(9)
• mem_dump_obj(9)
• compat_set_desc_from_vma(9)
• __compat_vma_mmap(9)
• compat_vma_mmap(9)
• snapshot_page(9)
• mmap_action_prepare(9)
• mmap_action_complete(9)
• folio_pte_batch(9)
• page_range_contiguous(9)

---

✿ and that's the whole page, bestie ✿ this one came from the ./mm source, dated October 2026, and the last little flourish is the kstrdup_const(9) title wave at the end — mwah 💋 go free your strings with kfree_const and stay iconic 🧚💜