STRUCT VIDEO_DEVICE(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

🎀 struct video_device(9) 🎀

okay bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual ✨ — this is the page for struct video_device, which is, and I cannot stress this enough, the actual structure used to create and manage the V4L2 device nodes. main character energy fr 💅

🌸 NAME 🌸

struct video_device — Structure used to create and manage the V4L2 device nodes. that's it, that's the vibe 🫶

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

lowkey just look at it:

struct video_device {
  #if defined(CONFIG_MEDIA_CONTROLLER);
    struct media_entity entity;
    struct media_intf_devnode *intf_devnode;
    struct media_pipeline pipe;
  #endif;
    const struct v4l2_file_operations *fops;
    u32 device_caps;
    struct device dev;
    struct cdev *cdev;
    struct v4l2_device *v4l2_dev;
    struct device *dev_parent;
    struct v4l2_ctrl_handler *ctrl_handler;
    struct vb2_queue *queue;
    struct v4l2_prio_state *prio;
    char name[64];
    enum vfl_devnode_type vfl_type;
    enum vfl_devnode_direction vfl_dir;
    int minor;
    u16 num;
    unsigned long flags;
    int index;
    spinlock_t fh_lock;
    struct list_head        fh_list;
    int dev_debug;
    v4l2_std_id tvnorms;
    void (*release)(struct video_device *vdev);
    const struct v4l2_ioctl_ops *ioctl_ops;
    unsigned long valid_ioctls[BITS_TO_LONGS( BASE_VIDIOC_PRIVATE)];
    struct mutex *lock;
 };

💅 Members 💅

every single field, no skips, we do not skip fields in this house 💖

  • entity — struct media_entity 👑
  • intf_devnode — pointer to struct media_intf_devnode
  • pipe — struct media_pipeline
  • fops — pointer to struct v4l2_file_operations for the video device
  • device_caps — device capabilities as used in v4l2_capabilities
  • dev — struct device for the video device
  • cdev — character device
  • v4l2_dev — pointer to struct v4l2_device parent
  • dev_parent — pointer to struct device parent
  • ctrl_handler — Control handler associated with this device node. May be NULL.
  • queue — struct vb2_queue associated with this device node. May be NULL.
  • prio — pointer to struct v4l2_prio_state with device's Priority state. If NULL, then v4l2_dev->prio will be used.
  • name — video device name
  • vfl_type — V4L device type, as defined by enum vfl_devnode_type
  • vfl_dir — V4L receiver, transmitter or m2m
  • minor — device node 'minor'. It is set to -1 if the registration failed 😭 (yes, that's the fail flag, clock it)
  • num — number of the video device node
  • flags — video device flags. Use bitops to set/clear/test flags. Contains a set of enum v4l2_video_device_flags.
  • index — attribute to differentiate multiple indices on one physical device
  • fh_lock — Lock for all v4l2_fhs
  • fh_list — List of struct v4l2_fh
  • dev_debug — Internal device debug flags, not for use by drivers 🙈 (hands off, bestie)
  • tvnorms — Supported tv norms
  • release — video device release callback
  • ioctl_ops — pointer to struct v4l2_ioctl_ops with ioctl callbacks
  • valid_ioctls — bitmap with the valid ioctls for this device
  • lock — pointer to struct mutex serialization lock

🦋 Description 🦋

NOTE: Only set dev_parent if that can't be deduced from v4l2_dev.

that's the whole note, but it's a very serious note okay 😤 only set dev_parent when it genuinely can't be deduced from v4l2_dev. no cap.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

the whole friend group, in order, all of them, iykyk 💜

and that's the page bestie 🎀 go forth and register some video devices, you're gonna slay ✨

source: ./include/media · dated October 2026 — mwah, see u in the next manpage 💋🦋

📦 where this page comes from