REMOVE(3)

NAME
remove - delete a name and possibly the file it refers to

SYNOPSIS
#include <stdio.h>

int remove(const char *pathname);

DESCRIPTION
remove() deletes a name from the filesystem. It calls unlink(2) for files, and rmdir(2) for directories. If the removed name was the last link to a file and no processes have the file open the file is deleted and the space it was using is made available for reuse. If the name was the last link to a file but any processes still have the file open the file will remain in existence until the last file descriptor referring to it is closed. If the name referred to a symbolic link the link is removed. If the name referred to a socket, fifo or device the name for it is removed but processes which have the object open may continue to use it.

RETURN VALUE
On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned, and errno is set appropriately.

ERRORS
The errors that occur are those for unlink(2) and rmdir(2).

CONFORMING TO
C89, C99, 4.3BSD, POSIX.1-2001.

NOTES
Under libc4 and libc5, remove() was an alias for unlink(2) (and hence would not remove directories).

BUGS
Infelicities in the protocol underlying NFS can cause the unexpected disappearance of files which are still being used.

SEE ALSO
rm(1), link(2), mknod(2), open(2), rename(2), rmdir(2), unlink(2), mkfifo(3), unlink(8)