rcuref_read(9)

🦋 rcuref_read(9) — from the Kernel API Manual, bestie 🦋

okay so real talk, this one's a tiny little function with a huge personality, and it lives in rcuref_read(9). Let's get into it ✨

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🌸 NAME 🌸

rcuref_read — literally just reads the number of reference counts that are currently held on a rcuref. that's it. that's the whole job. and she does it flawlessly 💅

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

unsigned int rcuref_read (rcuref_t *ref );

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✨ ARGUMENTS ✨

• ref — a pointer to the reference count. that's the one, that's the girl, hand her over 🫶

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🔥 RETURN 🔥

she gives you back the number of held references — the whole range, 0 ... N. slay.

⚠️ but bestie, listen to me very carefully: a value of 0 does NOT mean it's safe to schedule the object (the one protected by this reference counter) for deconstruction. like, do not do that. that is not what 0 is telling you, no cap. 💀

if what you actually wanna know is whether the reference counter has been marked DEAD (as signaled by rcuref_put), then please go use rcuread_is_dead instead. different function, different vibe check, iykyk 🧚

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

the whole squad, in the kernel file ./include/linux/rcuref.h:

• rcuref_init(9)
• rcuref_is_dead(9)
• rcuref_get(9)
• rcuref_put_rcusafe(9)
• rcuref_put(9)

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and that's the page, bestie — no notes, she ate 🌈

mwah 💖 this little gem comes from ./include/linux and it's dated October 2026 — go forth and reference-count responsibly, periodt 💅