NAME

pidfile — write a daemon pid file

LIBRARY

System Utilities Library (libutil, -lutil)

SYNOPSIS

#include <util.h>

int
pidfile(const char *path);

DESCRIPTION

pidfile() creates a file containing the process ID of the caller program. The pid file can be used as a quick reference if the process needs to be sent a signal. When the program exits, the pid file is removed automatically, unless the program receives a fatal signal.

If path is NULL or a plain basename (a name containing no directory components), the pid file is created in the /var/run directory. The file name has the form /var/run/basename.pid. The basename part is either the value of path if it was not NULL, or the program name as returned by getprogname(3) otherwise.

If path is an absolute or relative path (i.e. it contains the ‘/’ character), the pid file is created in the provided location.

Note that only the first invocation of pidfile() causes a pid file to be written; subsequent invocations have no effect unless a new path is supplied. If called with a new path, pidfile() will remove the old pid file and write the new one.

RETURN VALUES

pidfile() returns 0 on success and -1 on failure.

SEE ALSO

atexit(3)

HISTORY

The pidfile() function call appeared in NetBSD 1.5. Support for creating pid files in any arbitrary path was added in NetBSD 6.0.

BUGS

pidfile() uses atexit(3) to ensure the pid file is unlinked at program exit. However, programs that use the _exit(2) function (for example, in signal handlers) will not trigger this behaviour.