gelf_checksum(3)

gelf_checksum3

Compute the checksum for an elf object file

Usage

#include <gelf.h>
long int gelf_checksum (Elf *elf);

Overview

Compute a checksum for the ELF object file referred to by elf. This function acts as a wrapper around elf32_checksum() and elf64_checksum(). The binary class of elf is used to automatically select between elf32_checksum() and elf64_checksum().

The checksum is computed from permanent parts of the ELF file and the result is repeatable. To be repeatable, strippable sections are not included in computing the checksum. SHT_NOBITS sections are also not included when computing the checksum. The checksum can be used as a value for DT_CHECKSUM.

Parameters

elf

The ELF object file for which the checksum is to be computed.

Return value

On success, return the computed checksum. On failure, return -1 and set elf_errno. If elf is NULL then -1 is returned without setting elf_errno.

The checksum is always calculated as a 4-byte value. If long int is larger than 4 bytes, then the checksum will be extended by padding with zeros.

Attributes

InterfaceAttributeValue
gelf_checksum()Thread safetyMT-Safe

Reporting bugs

Report bugs to <[email protected]> or https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/.

From libelf 0.197-1 in Arch Linux 2026-11-01. Parsed by carta from the page's man source.