#include <stdlib.h> int atexit(void (*function)(void));
The same function may be registered multiple times: it is called once for each registration.
POSIX.1-2001 requires that an implementation allow at least ATEXIT_MAX (32) such functions to be registered. The actual limit supported by an implementation can be obtained using sysconf(3).
When a child process is created via fork(2), it inherits copies of its parent's registrations. Upon a successful call to one of the exec(3) functions, all registrations are removed.
If one of the functions registered functions calls _exit(2), then any remaining functions are not invoked, and the other process termination steps performed by exit(3) are not performed.
POSIX.1-2001 says that the result of calling exit(3) more than once (i.e., calling exit(3) within a function registered using atexit()) is undefined. On some systems (but not Linux), this can result in an infinite recursion; portable programs should not invoke exit(3) inside a function registered using atexit().
The atexit() and on_exit(3) functions register functions on the same list: at normal process termination, the registered functions are invoked in reverse order of their registration by these two functions.
POSIX.1-2001 says that the result is undefined if longjmp(3) is used to terminate execution of one of the functions registered atexit().
#include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> #include <unistd.h> void bye(void) { printf("That was all, folks\n"); } int main(void) { long a; int i; a = sysconf(_SC_ATEXIT_MAX); printf("ATEXIT_MAX = %ld\n", a); i = atexit(bye); if (i != 0) { fprintf(stderr, "cannot set exit function\n"); exit(EXIT_FAILURE); } exit(EXIT_SUCCESS); }