netdev_get_by_name(9)

💖 NAME 💖

okay bestie, this is netdev_get_by_name(9) from the Kernel API Manual — the one that is literally “find a device by its name.” iconic behavior, no notes. 💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

struct net_device * netdev_get_by_name (struct net *net , const char
       *name , netdevice_tracker *tracker , gfp_t gfp );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• net — the applicable net namespace. that’s the world this lookup lives in. 🌍
• name — name to find. yes, the actual name-name. 🔎
• tracker — tracking object for the acquired reference. keep track, bestie. 🧚
• gfp — allocation flags for the tracker. the flags go here. 🚩

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Find an interface by name. This can be called from any context and does its own locking — she is self-sufficient, periodt. ✨

The returned handle has the usage count incremented, and the caller must use netdev_put to release it when it is no longer needed. NULL is returned if no matching device is found.

🚨 bestie, the important bit: the returned handle has the usage count incremented, so you must use netdev_put to release it when it is no longer needed. if no matching device is found, you get NULL. don’t leave the ref hanging, fr fr. 😭

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

the whole squad is here, no cap:

• Kernel file ./net/core/dev.c
• dev_add_pack(9), __dev_remove_pack(9), dev_remove_pack(9), dev_get_iflink(9), dev_fill_metadata_dst(9)
• netdev_napi_by_id_lock(9), __dev_get_by_name(9), dev_get_by_name_rcu(9), __dev_get_by_index(9), dev_get_by_index_rcu(9), netdev_get_by_index(9)
• dev_get_by_napi_id(9), netdev_get_by_index_lock(9), netdev_get_name(9), dev_getbyhwaddr_rcu(9), dev_getbyhwaddr(9), netdev_get_by_flags_rcu(9)
• dev_valid_name(9), __dev_alloc_name(9), dev_alloc_name(9), dev_get_alias(9), netdev_features_change(9), __netdev_notify_peers(9)
• netdev_notify_peers(9), dev_disable_gro_hw(9), register_netdevice_notifier(9), unregister_netdevice_notifier(9), register_netdevice_notifier_net(9), unregister_netdevice_notifier_net(9)
• call_netdevice_notifiers_info(9), call_netdevice_notifiers_info_robust(9), call_netdevice_notifiers(9), call_netdevice_notifiers_mtu(9), dev_forward_skb(9), dev_nit_active_rcu(9)
• netif_setup_tc(9), netif_set_real_num_rx_queues(9), netif_set_real_num_queues(9), netif_set_tso_max_size(9), netif_set_tso_max_segs(9), netif_inherit_tso_max(9)
• netif_get_num_default_rss_queues(9), netif_device_detach(9), netif_device_attach(9), dev_loopback_xmit(9), __dev_queue_xmit(9), rps_flow_is_active(9), rps_may_expire_flow(9)
• __netif_rx(9), netif_rx(9), netdev_is_rx_handler_busy(9), netdev_rx_handler_register(9), netdev_rx_handler_unregister(9), netif_receive_skb_core(9), netif_receive_skb(9)
• netif_receive_skb_list(9), __napi_schedule(9), napi_schedule_prep(9), __napi_schedule_irqoff(9), netif_threaded_enable(9), netif_queue_set_napi(9), napi_disable(9), napi_enable(9)
• netdev_has_upper_dev(9), netdev_has_upper_dev_all_rcu(9), netdev_has_any_upper_dev(9), netdev_master_upper_dev_get(9), netdev_has_any_lower_dev(9), netdev_upper_get_next_dev_rcu(9)
• netdev_lower_get_next_private(9), netdev_lower_get_next_private_rcu(9), netdev_lower_get_next(9), netdev_lower_get_first_private_rcu(9), netdev_master_upper_dev_get_rcu(9), netdev_upper_dev_link(9)
• netdev_master_upper_dev_link(9), netdev_upper_dev_unlink(9), netdev_bonding_info_change(9), netdev_get_xmit_slave(9), netdev_sk_get_lowest_dev(9), netdev_lower_state_changed(9)
• netif_get_flags(9), netif_set_mtu_ext(9), netif_pre_changeaddr_notify(9), dev_get_phys_port_id(9), dev_get_phys_port_name(9), netif_get_port_parent_id(9)
• netdev_port_same_parent_id(9), netdev_change_proto_down_reason_locked(9), dev_change_xdp_fd(9), dev_index_reserve(9), netdev_update_features(9), netdev_change_features(9)
• netif_stacked_transfer_operstate(9), register_netdevice(9), register_netdev(9), netdev_wait_allrefs_any(9), dev_get_stats(9), dev_fetch_sw_netstats(9), dev_get_tstats64(9)
• netdev_sw_irq_coalesce_default_on(9), alloc_netdev_mqs(9), free_netdev(9), alloc_netdev_dummy(9), synchronize_net(9), unregister_netdevice_queue(9)
• unregister_netdevice_many(9), unregister_netdev(9), netdev_increment_features(9), netdev_compute_master_upper_features(9), netdev_drivername(9)

signed off with love from ./net/core, dated October 2026, for netdev_get_by_name(9) 🫶✨