raw_atomic_...turn_relaxed(9)

💅 raw_atomic_dec_return_relaxed(9)

okay so bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual — yes, that Kernel API Manual, the one with the huge man page section at the bottom that's literally just 200 cousins of this one function 🎀. This page is about raw_atomic_dec_return_relaxed, and honestly? she's a baddie with a very specific job. let's get into it 💖

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✨ NAME ✨

raw_atomic_dec_return_relaxed — atomic decrement with relaxed ordering 🦋

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int raw_atomic_dec_return_relaxed (atomic_t *v );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• v — pointer to atomic_t 👑 that's the whole argument list. one (1) pointer. she's low maintenance.

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

so what she does is: atomically updates v to (v - 1) with relaxed ordering ✨. that's it. that's the whole vibe. atomic means nobody can catch her mid-decrement, and relaxed ordering means she's not doing the whole memory-barrier choreography — she's chill like that 💅.

also she's safe to use in noinstr code — which, iykyk, is a whole thing 🙂‍↔️. but outside of noinstr land, you should prefer atomic_dec_return_relaxed instead. fr fr, that's the recommendation, don't @ me 🫶

⭐ RETURN ⭐

The updated value of v 💖 — like, the value after the decrement. she gives you the receipt, not the before-pic 📸.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

the kernel file this lives in:

./include/linux/atomic/atomic-arch-fallback.h 📁

and now… the entire friend group 😭 (yes, all of them, no cap, nobody left behind):

raw_atomic_read(9), raw_atomic_read_acquire(9), raw_atomic_set(9),
raw_atomic_set_release(9), raw_atomic_add(9), raw_atomic_add_return(9),
raw_atomic_add_return_acquire(9), raw_atomic_add_return_release(9),
raw_atomic_add_return_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_fetch_add(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_add_acquire(9), raw_atomic_fetch_add_release(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_add_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_sub(9),
raw_atomic_sub_return(9), raw_atomic_sub_return_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_sub_return_release(9), raw_atomic_sub_return_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_sub(9), raw_atomic_fetch_sub_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_sub_release(9), raw_atomic_fetch_sub_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_inc(9), raw_atomic_inc_return(9),
raw_atomic_inc_return_acquire(9), raw_atomic_inc_return_release(9),
raw_atomic_inc_return_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_fetch_inc(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_inc_acquire(9), raw_atomic_fetch_inc_release(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_inc_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_dec(9),
raw_atomic_dec_return(9), raw_atomic_dec_return_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_dec_return_release(9), raw_atomic_fetch_dec(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_dec_acquire(9), raw_atomic_fetch_dec_release(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_dec_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_and(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_and(9), raw_atomic_fetch_and_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_and_release(9), raw_atomic_fetch_and_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_andnot(9), raw_atomic_fetch_andnot(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_andnot_acquire(9), raw_atomic_fetch_andnot_release(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_andnot_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_or(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_or(9), raw_atomic_fetch_or_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_or_release(9), raw_atomic_fetch_or_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_xor(9), raw_atomic_fetch_xor(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_xor_acquire(9), raw_atomic_fetch_xor_release(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_xor_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_xchg(9),
raw_atomic_xchg_acquire(9), raw_atomic_xchg_release(9),
raw_atomic_xchg_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_cmpxchg(9),
raw_atomic_cmpxchg_acquire(9), raw_atomic_cmpxchg_release(9),
raw_atomic_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_try_cmpxchg(9),
raw_atomic_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9), raw_atomic_try_cmpxchg_release(9),
raw_atomic_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_sub_and_test(9),
raw_atomic_dec_and_test(9), raw_atomic_inc_and_test(9),
raw_atomic_add_negative(9), raw_atomic_add_negative_acquire(9),
raw_atomic_add_negative_release(9), raw_atomic_add_negative_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic_fetch_add_unless(9), raw_atomic_add_unless(9),
raw_atomic_inc_not_zero(9), raw_atomic_inc_unless_negative(9),
raw_atomic_dec_unless_positive(9), raw_atomic_dec_if_positive(9),
raw_atomic64_read(9), raw_atomic64_read_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_set(9),
raw_atomic64_set_release(9), raw_atomic64_add(9),
raw_atomic64_add_return(9), raw_atomic64_add_return_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_add_return_release(9), raw_atomic64_add_return_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_add(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_add_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_add_release(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_add_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic64_sub(9), raw_atomic64_sub_return(9),
raw_atomic64_sub_return_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_sub_return_release(9),
raw_atomic64_sub_return_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_sub(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_sub_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_sub_release(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_sub_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_inc(9),
raw_atomic64_inc_return(9), raw_atomic64_inc_return_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_inc_return_release(9), raw_atomic64_inc_return_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_inc(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_inc_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_inc_release(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_inc_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic64_dec(9), raw_atomic64_dec_return(9),
raw_atomic64_dec_return_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_dec_return_release(9),
raw_atomic64_dec_return_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_dec(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_dec_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_dec_release(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_dec_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_and(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_and(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_and_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_and_release(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_and_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic64_andnot(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_andnot(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_andnot_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_andnot_release(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_andnot_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_or(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_or(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_or_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_or_release(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_or_relaxed(9),
raw_atomic64_xor(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_xor(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_xor_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_xor_release(9),
raw_atomic64_fetch_xor_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_xchg(9),
raw_atomic64_xchg_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_xchg_release(9),
raw_atomic64_xchg_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_cmpxchg(9),
raw_atomic64_cmpxchg_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_cmpxchg_release(9),
raw_atomic64_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_try_cmpxchg(9),
raw_atomic64_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_try_cmpxchg_release(9),
raw_atomic64_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_sub_and_test(9),
raw_atomic64_dec_and_test(9), raw_atomic64_inc_and_test(9),
raw_atomic64_add_negative(9), raw_atomic64_add_negative_acquire(9),
raw_atomic64_add_negative_release(9),
raw_atomic64_add_negative_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_add_unless(9),
raw_atomic64_add_unless(9), raw_atomic64_inc_not_zero(9),
raw_atomic64_inc_unless_negative(9),
raw_atomic64_dec_unless_positive(9), raw_atomic64_dec_if_positive(9)

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okay and for the outro 🎵 — this page comes out of ./include/linux/atomic , dated October 2026, and the header up top still spells her name raw_atomic_...turn_relaxed(9) because the man page titles get truncated and honestly? iconic behavior. go decrement something, bestie 💀✨