OPENAT(2) Linux Programmer's Manual OPENAT(2)NAME
openat - open a file relative to a directory file descriptor
SYNOPSIS
#include <fcntl.h>
int openat(int dirfd, const char *pathname, int flags);
int openat(int dirfd, const char *pathname, int flags, mode_t mode);
DESCRIPTION
The openat() system call operates in exactly the same way as open(2),
except for the differences described in this manual page.
If the pathname given in pathname is relative, then it is interpreted
relative to the directory referred to by the file descriptor dirfd
(rather than relative to the current working directory of the calling
process, as is done by open(2) for a relative pathname).
If the pathname given in pathname is relative and dirfd is the special
value AT_FDCWD, then pathname is interpreted relative to the current
working directory of the calling process (like open(2)).
If the pathname given in pathname is absolute, then dirfd is ignored.
RETURN VALUE
On success, openat() returns a new file descriptor. On error, -1 is
returned and errno is set to indicate the error.
ERRORS
The same errors that occur for open(2) can also occur for openat().
The following additional errors can occur for openat():
EBADF dirfd is not a valid file descriptor.
ENOTDIR
pathname is a relative path and dirfd is a file descriptor
referring to a file other than a directory.
NOTESopenat() and other similar system calls suffixed "at" are supported for
two reasons.
First, openat() allows an application to avoid race conditions that
could occur when using open(2) to open files in directories other than
the current working directory. These race conditions result from the
fact that some component of the directory prefix given to open() could
be changed in parallel with the call to open(). Such races can be
avoided by opening a file descriptor for the target directory, and then
specifying that file descriptor as the dirfd argument of openat().
Second, openat() allows the implementation of a per-thread "current
working directory", via file descriptor(s) maintained by the applica‐
tion. (This functionality can also be obtained by tricks based on the
use of /proc/self/fd/dirfd, but less efficiently.)
CONFORMING TO
This system call is non-standard but is proposed for inclusion in a
future revision of POSIX.1. A similar system call exists on Solaris.
VERSIONSopenat() was added to Linux in kernel 2.6.16.
SEE ALSOfaccessat(2), fchmodat(2), fchownat(2), fstatat(2), futimesat(2),
linkat(2), mkdirat(2), mknodat(2), open(2), path_resolution(2), read‐
linkat(2), renameat(2), symlinkat(2), unlinkat(2), mkfifoat(3).
Linux 2.6.16 2006-03-06 OPENAT(2)