RMDIR(2) | System Calls Manual | RMDIR(2)

# NAME

`rmdir` —
remove a directory file

# LIBRARY

Standard C Library (libc, -lc)

# SYNOPSIS

`#include <unistd.h>`

int
`rmdir`(const char *path);

# DESCRIPTION

`rmdir`() removes a directory file whose name is given by path. The directory must not have any entries other than ‘`.`’ and ‘`..`’.

# RETURN VALUES

Upon successful completion, the value 0 is returned; otherwise the value -1 is returned and the global variable errno is set to indicate the error.

# ERRORS

The named file is removed unless:

[`EACCES`]
  Search permission is denied for a component of the path prefix, or write permission is denied on the directory containing the link to be removed.
[`EBUSY`]
  The directory to be removed is the mount point for a mounted file system.
[`EFAULT`]
  path points outside the process's allocated address space.
[`EINVAL`]
  The last component of the path is ‘`.`’.
[`EIO`]
  An I/O error occurred while deleting the directory entry or deallocating the inode.
[`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 directory does not exist.
[`ENOTDIR`]
  A component of the path is not a directory.
[`ENOTEMPTY`]
  The named directory contains files other than ‘`.`’ and ‘`..`’ in it.
[`EPERM`]
  The directory containing the directory to be removed is marked sticky, and neither the containing directory nor the directory to be removed are owned by the effective user ID.
[`EROFS`]
  The directory entry to be removed resides on a read-only file system.

# SEE ALSO

mkdir(2), unlink(2)

# STANDARDS

The `rmdir`() function conforms to IEEE Std 1003.1-1990 (“POSIX.1”).

# HISTORY

The `rmdir`() function call appeared in 4.2BSD.

October 11, 2014 | NetBSD 9.2