kvfree(9)

🦋 kvfree(9) 🦋

hii bestie!! welcome to the Kernel API Manual — this is the page for kvfree(9), and it's literally about freeing memory 💅✨

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🌸 NAME 🌸

kvfree — free memory. that's the whole vibe. 🫶

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

void kvfree (const void *addr );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• addr — pointer to allocated memory. the thing you're sending to the void, bestie 🕳️✨

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

okay so kvfree frees memory allocated by any of vmalloc, kmalloc or kvmalloc — all three, no cap 🔥

it is slightly more efficient to use kfree or vfree if you are certain that you know which one to use. so if you already know your allocation came from kfree-land or vfree-land, use the matching one and it's a tiny bit more efficient 💡

bestie note: that's not me guessing — the page literally says it's slightly more efficient to use kfree or vfree if you are certain which one to use 👑

🦋 CONTEXT 🦋

context check 👀: either preemptible task context or not-NMI interrupt ✨

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

• Kernel file ./mm/slub.c enum slab_flags(9)
• kmem_cache_alloc_node(9)
• kmem_cache_free(9)
• ksize(9)
• kfree(9)
• kvfree_atomic(9)
• kvfree_sensitive(9)
• kmem_cache_alloc_bulk(9)

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cute sign-off 💖: source ./mm · October 2026 · kvfree(9) — mwah 💋🌸