getpid(2)

getpid2

Get parent or calling process identification

Usage

#include <unistd.h>

pid_t

getpid(void);

pid_t

getppid(void);

Overview

getpid() returns the process ID of the calling process. The ID is guaranteed to be unique and is useful for constructing temporary file names.

getppid() returns the process ID of the parent of the calling process.

Errors

The getpid() and getppid() functions are always successful, and no return value is reserved to indicate an error.

Legacy synopsis

#include <sys/types.h> #include <unistd.h>

The include file ⟨sys/types.h⟩ is necessary.

Releases

155 releases since Mac OS X 10.0; the text changed 2 times.

  1. 10.0–10.4.11
  2. 10.5–10.11.6
  3. 10.12–26.5

Standards

getpid() and getppid() conform to IEEE Std 1003.1-1988 (“POSIX.1”).

From xnu 12377.121.6 in macOS 26.5. Parsed by carta from the page's mdoc source.