vfs_readlink(9)

💅 vfs_readlink — the kernel API manual, but make it make sense

okay so bestie, welcome to vfs_readlink(9) — yes that's a section 9 kernel page, we're in the deep end now and honestly? iconic. Let's get into it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

vfs_readlink — literally just copies the body of a symlink into a userspace buffer. that's the whole vibe. no notes. 🎀

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

int vfs_readlink (struct dentry *dentry , char __user *buffer , int
buflen );

three args, one int coming back at you, slay 💅

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🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

• dentry — the dentry you're asking to spill the symbolic link tea ☕ this is the one you want the link target from
• buffer — user memory pointer, aka where the answer goes. it's __user, so mind your manners 👀
• buflen — size of buffer. the actual how-much-room-you-got situation 📏

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⭐ DESCRIPTION ⭐

so here's the thing, bestie — there are two whole things this function does NOT do, and they're lowkey the most important part:

• It does not touch atime. that's up to the caller if necessary — like genuinely, if you need it updated, that's your problem, not hers 🙈
• It does not call the security hook. nope. not doing it. if you wanted that you're at the wrong function, no cap 💀

that's literally it, she's a small function with big main character energy 👑

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

the kernel file ./fs/namei.c says hi, and here is the entire group chat — every single one of these, in order, no skips:

• check_acl(9), acl_permission_check(9), generic_permission(9), do_inode_permission(9), sb_permission(9), inode_permission(9)
• path_get(9), path_put(9), path_connected(9)
• try_to_unlazy(9), try_to_unlazy_next(9), complete_walk(9)
• may_follow_link(9), safe_hardlink_source(9), may_linkat(9), may_create_in_sticky(9)
• lookup_fast(9), start_dirop(9), end_dirop(9)
• kern_path_parent(9), vfs_path_parent_lookup(9), vfs_path_lookup(9)
• try_lookup_noperm(9), lookup_noperm(9), lookup_one(9), lookup_one_unlocked(9), lookup_one_positive_killable(9), lookup_one_positive_unlocked(9), lookup_noperm_unlocked(9)
• start_creating(9), start_removing(9), start_creating_killable(9), start_removing_killable(9), start_creating_noperm(9), start_removing_noperm(9), start_creating_dentry(9), start_removing_dentry(9)
• __start_renaming(9), start_renaming(9), start_renaming_dentry(9), start_renaming_two_dentries(9)
• vfs_prepare_mode(9), vfs_create(9), atomic_open(9), vfs_lookup_open(9), vfs_tmpfile(9), kernel_tmpfile_open(9), end_creating_path(9), dentry_create(9)
• vfs_mknod(9), vfs_mkdir(9), vfs_rmdir(9), vfs_unlink(9), vfs_symlink(9), vfs_link(9), vfs_rename(9)
• vfs_get_link(9), page_get_link(9), page_put_link(9)

like, that's the whole friend group, everybody showed up to the party 🎉

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ngl if you skip the "does not touch atime" and "does not call security hook" lines you're gonna have a bad time — those aren't decoration, they're the whole personality 💀

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and that's the page!! 🌈 she's from ./fs, dated October 2026, and she's filed under vfs_readlink(9) — mwah, go read a symlink, bestie 💖✨🎀