vfs_splice_read(9)

💖 NAME 💖

vfs_splice_read — Read data from a file and splice it into a pipe. That's the whole NAME moment, bestie. This is the vfs_splice_read(9) page from the Kernel API Manual, and it's lowkey iconic 🎀

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

The signature is literally this, no cap:

ssize_t vfs_splice_read (struct file *in , loff_t *ppos , struct pipe_inode_info *pipe , size_t len , unsigned int flags );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• in — File to splice from
• ppos — Input file offset
• pipe — Pipe to splice to
• len — Number of bytes to splice
• flags — Splice modifier flags (SPLICE_F_*)

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Splice the requested amount of data from the input file to the pipe. This is synchronous as the caller must hold the pipe lock across the entire operation — yes, the whole thing, bestie 🔥

If successful, it returns the amount of data spliced, 0 if it hit the EOF or a hole, and a negative error code otherwise. That's the return vibe check, periodt 💅

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

The SEE ALSO section is a whole friend group: Kernel file ./fs/splice.c plus these besties —

• splice_to_pipe(9)
• copy_splice_read(9)
• splice_from_pipe_feed(9)
• splice_from_pipe_next(9)
• splice_from_pipe_begin(9)
• splice_from_pipe_end(9)
• __splice_from_pipe(9)
• splice_from_pipe(9)
• iter_file_splice_write(9)
• splice_to_socket(9)
• splice_direct_to_actor(9)
• do_splice_direct(9)
• splice_file_range(9)

xoxo, source ./fs · October 2026 · vfs_splice_read(9) 💖🫶💅