of_node_init(9)

💖 of_node_init(9) — initialize a devicetree node 💖

okay bestie, this is the Kernel API Manual page for of_node_init(9), and it is literally about initializing a devicetree node. tiny function, very "set the refcount and go" energy ✨

---

🌸 NAME 🌸

of_node_init — initialize a devicetree node

---

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

void of_node_init (struct device_node *node );

---

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• node — a pointer to the device node that has been created by kzalloc 🫶

---

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so on return, the device_node refcount is set to one. when you're done with node, use of_node_put on it to free the memory allocated for it.

and here's the important plot twist: if the node is NOT a dynamic node, that memory will not be freed. the decision of whether to free the memory will be done by node->release, which is of_node_release. no cap, that's the whole vibe 😭💅

---

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

Kernel file ./include/linux/of.h, plus all these icons:

• of_machine_is_compatible(9)
• of_parse_phandle(9)
• of_parse_phandle_with_args(9)
• of_parse_phandle_with_fixed_args(9)
• of_parse_phandle_with_optional_args(9)
• of_phandle_args_equal(9)
• of_property_count_u8_elems(9)
• of_property_count_u16_elems(9)
• of_property_count_u32_elems(9)
• of_property_count_u64_elems(9)
• of_property_read_string_array(9)
• of_property_count_strings(9)
• of_property_read_string_index(9)
• of_property_present(9)
• of_property_read_u8_array(9)
• of_property_read_u16_array(9)
• of_property_read_u32_array(9)
• of_property_read_u64_array(9)
• struct of_changeset_entry(9)
• struct of_changeset(9)
• of_device_is_system_power_controller(9)
• of_have_populated_dt(9)

---

that's the whole page, bestie 💖 source/version line: ./include/linux • October 2026 • of_node_init(9) — mwah, go init responsibly 🫶✨