pcap-config(1)

pcap-config1

Write libpcap compiler and linker flags to standard output

Usage

pcap-config [--help] [--version] [--cflags] [{--libs | --additional-libs}] [{--static | --static-pcap-only}]

Overview

pcap-config writes to the standard output various compiler and linker flags required to build a user program with libpcap. By default, it writes flags appropriate for building with a dynamically-linked version of libpcap; see below for static linking. Depending on the manner of libpcap installation, some options or their combinations may produce empty output - this is by design.

Options

--help

Produce a help message and exit.

--version

Produce libpcap version and exit. The version is the contents of VERSION file in libpcap source tree rather than the result of pcap_lib_version(3PCAP).

--cflags

Produce the -I compiler flag required to include libpcap's header files.

--libs

Produce the -L and -l linker flags required to link with libpcap, including -l flags for libraries required by libpcap.

--additional-libs

Produce the -L and -l linker flags for libraries required by libpcap, but not the -l flag to link with libpcap itself.

--static

This option causes --libs and --additional-libs to produce linker flags appropriate for static linking with libpcap.

--static-pcap-only

This option causes --libs and --additional-libs to produce linker flags appropriate for static linking with libpcap and dynamic linking with all other libraries, including libraries required by libpcap.

Exit status

pcap-config exits with a non-zero status when invoked with an invalid command-line option, and with status 0 otherwise.

Backward compatibility

The --version flag became available in libpcap release 1.10.3.

Before libpcap release 1.10.2 pcap-config did not treat invalid command-line options as an error. The --static-pcap-only flag became available in libpcap release 1.10.2.

The --static flag became available in libpcap release 1.1.0.

Releases

9 releases since Debian 6.0 (Squeeze); the text changed 6 times.

  1. 6.0–7
  2. 8
  3. 9–10
  4. 11
  5. 12
  6. 13
  7. Arch

--additional-libs since Debian 13 (Trixie); --cflags since Debian 13 (Trixie); --help since Debian 13 (Trixie); --libs since Debian 13 (Trixie); --static since Debian 13 (Trixie); --static-pcap-only since Debian 13 (Trixie); --version since Debian 13 (Trixie).

From libpcap 1.11.0-1 in Arch Linux 2026-11-01. Parsed by carta from the page's man source.