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CHMOD(2)                      System Calls Manual                     CHMOD(2)

NAME
     chmod, lchmod, fchmod, fchmodat - change mode of file

LIBRARY
     Standard C Library (libc, -lc)

SYNOPSIS
     #include <sys/stat.h>

     int
     chmod(const char *path, mode_t mode);

     int
     lchmod(const char *path, mode_t mode);

     int
     fchmod(int fd, mode_t mode);

     #include <sys/stat.h>
     #include <fcntl.h>

     int
     fchmodat(int fd, const char *path, mode_t mode, int flag);

DESCRIPTION
     The function chmod() sets the file permission bits of the file specified
     by the pathname path to mode.  fchmod() sets the permission bits of the
     specified file descriptor fd.  lchmod() is like chmod() except in the
     case where the named file is a symbolic link, in which case lchmod() sets
     the permission bits of the link, while chmod() sets the bits of the file
     the link references.

     fchmodat() works the same way as chmod() (or lchmod() if
     AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW is set in flag) except if path is relative.  In that
     case, it is looked up from a directory whose file descriptor was passed
     as fd.  Search permission is required on this directory.  fd except if
     that file descriptor was opened with the O_SEARCH flag.  fd can be set to
     AT_FDCWD in order to specify the current directory.

     chmod() verifies that the process owner (user) either owns the file
     specified by path (or fd), or is the super-user.  A mode is created from
     or'd permission bit masks defined in <sys/stat.h>:
           #define S_IRWXU 0000700    /* RWX mask for owner */
           #define S_IRUSR 0000400    /* R for owner */
           #define S_IWUSR 0000200    /* W for owner */
           #define S_IXUSR 0000100    /* X for owner */

           #define S_IRWXG 0000070    /* RWX mask for group */
           #define S_IRGRP 0000040    /* R for group */
           #define S_IWGRP 0000020    /* W for group */
           #define S_IXGRP 0000010    /* X for group */

           #define S_IRWXO 0000007    /* RWX mask for other */
           #define S_IROTH 0000004    /* R for other */
           #define S_IWOTH 0000002    /* W for other */
           #define S_IXOTH 0000001    /* X for other */

           #define S_ISUID 0004000    /* set user id on execution */
           #define S_ISGID 0002000    /* set group id on execution */
           #define S_ISVTX 0001000    /* sticky bit */

     The mode ISVTX (the `sticky bit') can be set on regular files, but has no
     effect.  For historical reasons this can be done only by the super-user.

     If mode ISVTX (the `sticky bit') is set on a directory, an unprivileged
     user may not delete or rename files of other users in that directory.
     The sticky bit may be set by any user on a directory which the user owns
     or has appropriate permissions.

     For more information about the history and properties of the sticky bit,
     see sticky(7).

     Changing the owner of a file turns off the set-user-id and set-group-id
     bits; writing to a file turns off the set-user-id and set-group-id bits
     unless the user is the super-user.  This makes the system somewhat more
     secure by protecting set-user-id (set-group-id) files from remaining set-
     user-id (set-group-id) if they are modified, at the expense of a degree
     of compatibility.

RETURN VALUES
     The chmod(), lchmod(), fchmod(), and fchmodat() functions return the
     value 0 if successful; otherwise the value -1 is returned and the global
     variable errno is set to indicate the error.

ERRORS
     chmod(), lchmod() and fchmodat() will fail and the file mode will be
     unchanged if:

     [EACCES]           Search permission is denied for a component of the
                        path prefix.

     [EFAULT]           path points outside the process's allocated address
                        space.

     [EFTYPE]           The effective user ID is not the super-user, the mode
                        includes the sticky bit (S_ISVTX), and path does not
                        refer to a directory.

     [EIO]              An I/O error occurred while reading from or writing to
                        the file system.

     [ELOOP]            Too many symbolic links were encountered in
                        translating the pathname.

     [ENAMETOOLONG]     A component of a pathname exceeded {NAME_MAX}
                        characters, or an entire path name exceeded {PATH_MAX}
                        characters.

     [ENOENT]           The named file does not exist.

     [ENOTDIR]          A component of the path prefix is not a directory.

     [EPERM]            The effective user ID does not match the owner of the
                        file and the effective user ID is not the super-user;
                        or the mode includes the setgid bit (S_ISGID) but the
                        file's group is neither the effective group ID nor is
                        it in the group access list.

     [EROFS]            The named file resides on a read-only file system.

     In addition, fchmodat() will fail if:

     [EBADF]            path does not specify an absolute path and fd is
                        neither AT_FDCWD nor a valid file descriptor open for
                        reading or searching.

     [ENOTDIR]          path is not an absolute path and fd is a file
                        descriptor associated with a non-directory file.

     fchmod() will fail if:

     [EBADF]            The descriptor is not valid.

     [EFTYPE]           The effective user ID is not the super-user, the mode
                        includes the sticky bit (S_ISVTX), and fd does not
                        refer to a directory.

     [EINVAL]           fd refers to a socket, not to a file.

     [EIO]              An I/O error occurred while reading from or writing to
                        the file system.

     [EPERM]            The effective user ID does not match the owner of the
                        file and the effective user ID is not the super-user;
                        or the mode includes the setgid bit (S_ISGID) but the
                        file's group is neither the effective group ID nor is
                        it in the group access list.

     [EROFS]            The file resides on a read-only file system.

SEE ALSO
     chmod(1), chflags(2), chown(2), open(2), stat(2), getmode(3), setmode(3),
     sticky(7), symlink(7)

STANDARDS
     The chmod() function conforms to IEEE Std 1003.1-1990 ("POSIX.1").  The
     fchmod() function conforms to X/Open Portability Guide Issue 4, Version 2
     ("XPG4.2").  The fchmodat() function conforms to IEEE Std 1003.1-2008
     ("POSIX.1").

HISTORY
     The chmod() function call appeared in Version 1 AT&T UNIX.  The fchmod()
     function call appeared in 4.2BSD.  The lchmod() function call appeared in
     NetBSD 1.3.

NetBSD 10.99                   November 20, 2021                  NetBSD 10.99