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ELF(5) Linux Programmer's Manual ELF(5)
elf - format of Executable and Linking Format (ELF) files
#include <elf.h>
The header file <elf.h> defines the format of ELF executable binary
files. Amongst these files are normal executable files, relocatable
object files, core files, and shared objects.
An executable file using the ELF file format consists of an ELF
header, followed by a program header table or a section header table,
or both. The ELF header is always at offset zero of the file. The
program header table and the section header table's offset in the
file are defined in the ELF header. The two tables describe the rest
of the particularities of the file.
This header file describes the above mentioned headers as C
structures and also includes structures for dynamic sections,
relocation sections and symbol tables.
Basic types
The following types are used for N-bit architectures (N=32,64, ElfN
stands for Elf32 or Elf64, uintN_t stands for uint32_t or uint64_t):
ElfN_Addr Unsigned program address, uintN_t
ElfN_Off Unsigned file offset, uintN_t
ElfN_Section Unsigned section index, uint16_t
ElfN_Versym Unsigned version symbol information, uint16_t
Elf_Byte unsigned char
ElfN_Half uint16_t
ElfN_Sword int32_t
ElfN_Word uint32_t
ElfN_Sxword int64_t
ElfN_Xword uint64_t
(Note: the *BSD terminology is a bit different. There, Elf64_Half is
twice as large as Elf32_Half, and Elf64Quarter is used for uint16_t.
In order to avoid confusion these types are replaced by explicit ones
in the below.)
All data structures that the file format defines follow the "natural"
size and alignment guidelines for the relevant class. If necessary,
data structures contain explicit padding to ensure 4-byte alignment
for 4-byte objects, to force structure sizes to a multiple of 4, and
so on.
ELF header (Ehdr)
The ELF header is described by the type Elf32_Ehdr or Elf64_Ehdr:
#define EI_NIDENT 16
typedef struct {
unsigned char e_ident[EI_NIDENT];
uint16_t e_type;
uint16_t e_machine;
uint32_t e_version;
ElfN_Addr e_entry;
ElfN_Off e_phoff;
ElfN_Off e_shoff;
uint32_t e_flags;
uint16_t e_ehsize;
uint16_t e_phentsize;
uint16_t e_phnum;
uint16_t e_shentsize;
uint16_t e_shnum;
uint16_t e_shstrndx;
} ElfN_Ehdr;
The fields have the following meanings:
e_ident
This array of bytes specifies how to interpret the file, inde‐
pendent of the processor or the file's remaining contents.
Within this array everything is named by macros, which start
with the prefix EI_ and may contain values which start with
the prefix ELF. The following macros are defined:
EI_MAG0
The first byte of the magic number. It must be filled
with ELFMAG0. (0: 0x7f)
EI_MAG1
The second byte of the magic number. It must be filled
with ELFMAG1. (1: 'E')
EI_MAG2
The third byte of the magic number. It must be filled
with ELFMAG2. (2: 'L')
EI_MAG3
The fourth byte of the magic number. It must be filled
with ELFMAG3. (3: 'F')
EI_CLASS
The fifth byte identifies the architecture for this bi‐
nary:
ELFCLASSNONE This class is invalid.
ELFCLASS32 This defines the 32-bit architecture. It
supports machines with files and virtual
address spaces up to 4 Gigabytes.
ELFCLASS64 This defines the 64-bit architecture.
EI_DATA
The sixth byte specifies the data encoding of the pro‐
cessor-specific data in the file. Currently, these en‐
codings are supported:
ELFDATANONE Unknown data format.
ELFDATA2LSB Two's complement, little-endian.
ELFDATA2MSB Two's complement, big-endian.
EI_VERSION
The seventh byte is the version number of the ELF spec‐
ification:
EV_NONE Invalid version.
EV_CURRENT Current version.
EI_OSABI
The eighth byte identifies the operating system and ABI
to which the object is targeted. Some fields in other
ELF structures have flags and values that have plat‐
form-specific meanings; the interpretation of those
fields is determined by the value of this byte. For
example:
ELFOSABI_NONE Same as ELFOSABI_SYSV
ELFOSABI_SYSV UNIX System V ABI
ELFOSABI_HPUX HP-UX ABI
ELFOSABI_NETBSD NetBSD ABI
ELFOSABI_LINUX Linux ABI
ELFOSABI_SOLARIS Solaris ABI
ELFOSABI_IRIX IRIX ABI
ELFOSABI_FREEBSD FreeBSD ABI
ELFOSABI_TRU64 TRU64 UNIX ABI
ELFOSABI_ARM ARM architecture ABI
ELFOSABI_STANDALONE Stand-alone (embedded) ABI
EI_ABIVERSION
The ninth byte identifies the version of the ABI to
which the object is targeted. This field is used to
distinguish among incompatible versions of an ABI. The
interpretation of this version number is dependent on
the ABI identified by the EI_OSABI field. Applications
conforming to this specification use the value 0.
EI_PAD Start of padding. These bytes are reserved and set to
zero. Programs which read them should ignore them.
The value for EI_PAD will change in the future if cur‐
rently unused bytes are given meanings.
EI_NIDENT
The size of the e_ident array.
e_type This member of the structure identifies the object file type:
ET_NONE An unknown type.
ET_REL A relocatable file.
ET_EXEC An executable file.
ET_DYN A shared object.
ET_CORE A core file.
e_machine
This member specifies the required architecture for an indi‐
vidual file. For example:
EM_NONE An unknown machine
EM_M32 AT&T WE 32100
EM_SPARC Sun Microsystems SPARC
EM_386 Intel 80386
EM_68K Motorola 68000
EM_88K Motorola 88000
EM_860 Intel 80860
EM_MIPS MIPS RS3000 (big-endian only)
EM_PARISC HP/PA
EM_SPARC32PLUS SPARC with enhanced instruction set
EM_PPC PowerPC
EM_PPC64 PowerPC 64-bit
EM_S390 IBM S/390
EM_ARM Advanced RISC Machines
EM_SH Renesas SuperH
EM_SPARCV9 SPARC v9 64-bit
EM_IA_64 Intel Itanium
EM_X86_64 AMD x86-64
EM_VAX DEC Vax
e_version
This member identifies the file version:
EV_NONE Invalid version
EV_CURRENT Current version
e_entry
This member gives the virtual address to which the system
first transfers control, thus starting the process. If the
file has no associated entry point, this member holds zero.
e_phoff
This member holds the program header table's file offset in
bytes. If the file has no program header table, this member
holds zero.
e_shoff
This member holds the section header table's file offset in
bytes. If the file has no section header table, this member
holds zero.
e_flags
This member holds processor-specific flags associated with the
file. Flag names take the form EF_`machine_flag'. Currently,
no flags have been defined.
e_ehsize
This member holds the ELF header's size in bytes.
e_phentsize
This member holds the size in bytes of one entry in the file's
program header table; all entries are the same size.
e_phnum
This member holds the number of entries in the program header
table. Thus the product of e_phentsize and e_phnum gives the
table's size in bytes. If a file has no program header, e_ph‐
num holds the value zero.
If the number of entries in the program header table is larger
than or equal to PN_XNUM (0xffff), this member holds PN_XNUM
(0xffff) and the real number of entries in the program header
table is held in the sh_info member of the initial entry in
section header table. Otherwise, the sh_info member of the
initial entry contains the value zero.
PN_XNUM
This is defined as 0xffff, the largest number e_phnum
can have, specifying where the actual number of program
headers is assigned.
e_shentsize
This member holds a sections header's size in bytes. A sec‐
tion header is one entry in the section header table; all en‐
tries are the same size.
e_shnum
This member holds the number of entries in the section header
table. Thus the product of e_shentsize and e_shnum gives the
section header table's size in bytes. If a file has no sec‐
tion header table, e_shnum holds the value of zero.
If the number of entries in the section header table is larger
than or equal to SHN_LORESERVE (0xff00), e_shnum holds the
value zero and the real number of entries in the section
header table is held in the sh_size member of the initial en‐
try in section header table. Otherwise, the sh_size member of
the initial entry in the section header table holds the value
zero.
e_shstrndx
This member holds the section header table index of the entry
associated with the section name string table. If the file
has no section name string table, this member holds the value
SHN_UNDEF.
If the index of section name string table section is larger
than or equal to SHN_LORESERVE (0xff00), this member holds
SHN_XINDEX (0xffff) and the real index of the section name
string table section is held in the sh_link member of the ini‐
tial entry in section header table. Otherwise, the sh_link
member of the initial entry in section header table contains
the value zero.
Program header (Phdr)
An executable or shared object file's program header table is an ar‐
ray of structures, each describing a segment or other information the
system needs to prepare the program for execution. An object file
segment contains one or more sections. Program headers are meaning‐
ful only for executable and shared object files. A file specifies
its own program header size with the ELF header's e_phentsize and
e_phnum members. The ELF program header is described by the type
Elf32_Phdr or Elf64_Phdr depending on the architecture:
typedef struct {
uint32_t p_type;
Elf32_Off p_offset;
Elf32_Addr p_vaddr;
Elf32_Addr p_paddr;
uint32_t p_filesz;
uint32_t p_memsz;
uint32_t p_flags;
uint32_t p_align;
} Elf32_Phdr;
typedef struct {
uint32_t p_type;
uint32_t p_flags;
Elf64_Off p_offset;
Elf64_Addr p_vaddr;
Elf64_Addr p_paddr;
uint64_t p_filesz;
uint64_t p_memsz;
uint64_t p_align;
} Elf64_Phdr;
The main difference between the 32-bit and the 64-bit program header
lies in the location of the p_flags member in the total struct.
p_type This member of the structure indicates what kind of segment
this array element describes or how to interpret the array el‐
ement's information.
PT_NULL
The array element is unused and the other members'
values are undefined. This lets the program header
have ignored entries.
PT_LOAD
The array element specifies a loadable segment, de‐
scribed by p_filesz and p_memsz. The bytes from the
file are mapped to the beginning of the memory seg‐
ment. If the segment's memory size p_memsz is
larger than the file size p_filesz, the "extra"
bytes are defined to hold the value 0 and to follow
the segment's initialized area. The file size may
not be larger than the memory size. Loadable seg‐
ment entries in the program header table appear in
ascending order, sorted on the p_vaddr member.
PT_DYNAMIC
The array element specifies dynamic linking informa‐
tion.
PT_INTERP
The array element specifies the location and size of
a null-terminated pathname to invoke as an inter‐
preter. This segment type is meaningful only for
executable files (though it may occur for shared ob‐
jects). However it may not occur more than once in
a file. If it is present, it must precede any load‐
able segment entry.
PT_NOTE
The array element specifies the location of notes
(ElfN_Nhdr).
PT_SHLIB
This segment type is reserved but has unspecified
semantics. Programs that contain an array element
of this type do not conform to the ABI.
PT_PHDR
The array element, if present, specifies the loca‐
tion and size of the program header table itself,
both in the file and in the memory image of the pro‐
gram. This segment type may not occur more than
once in a file. Moreover, it may occur only if the
program header table is part of the memory image of
the program. If it is present, it must precede any
loadable segment entry.
PT_LOPROC, PT_HIPROC
Values in the inclusive range [PT_LOPROC, PT_HIPROC]
are reserved for processor-specific semantics.
PT_GNU_STACK
GNU extension which is used by the Linux kernel to
control the state of the stack via the flags set in
the p_flags member.
p_offset
This member holds the offset from the beginning of the file at
which the first byte of the segment resides.
p_vaddr
This member holds the virtual address at which the first byte
of the segment resides in memory.
p_paddr
On systems for which physical addressing is relevant, this
member is reserved for the segment's physical address. Under
BSD this member is not used and must be zero.
p_filesz
This member holds the number of bytes in the file image of the
segment. It may be zero.
p_memsz
This member holds the number of bytes in the memory image of
the segment. It may be zero.
p_flags
This member holds a bit mask of flags relevant to the segment:
PF_X An executable segment.
PF_W A writable segment.
PF_R A readable segment.
A text segment commonly has the flags PF_X and PF_R. A data
segment commonly has PF_W and PF_R.
p_align
This member holds the value to which the segments are aligned
in memory and in the file. Loadable process segments must
have congruent values for p_vaddr and p_offset, modulo the
page size. Values of zero and one mean no alignment is re‐
quired. Otherwise, p_align should be a positive, integral
power of two, and p_vaddr should equal p_offset, modulo
p_align.
Section header (Shdr)
A file's section header table lets one locate all the file's sec‐
tions. The section header table is an array of Elf32_Shdr or
Elf64_Shdr structures. The ELF header's e_shoff member gives the
byte offset from the beginning of the file to the section header ta‐
ble. e_shnum holds the number of entries the section header table
contains. e_shentsize holds the size in bytes of each entry.
A section header table index is a subscript into this array. Some
section header table indices are reserved: the initial entry and the
indices between SHN_LORESERVE and SHN_HIRESERVE. The initial entry
is used in ELF extensions for e_phnum, e_shnum and e_shstrndx; in
other cases, each field in the initial entry is set to zero. An ob‐
ject file does not have sections for these special indices:
SHN_UNDEF
This value marks an undefined, missing, irrelevant, or other‐
wise meaningless section reference.
SHN_LORESERVE
This value specifies the lower bound of the range of reserved
indices.
SHN_LOPROC, SHN_HIPROC
Values greater in the inclusive range [SHN_LOPROC, SHN_HIPROC]
are reserved for processor-specific semantics.
SHN_ABS
This value specifies the absolute value for the corresponding
reference. For example, a symbol defined relative to section
number SHN_ABS has an absolute value and is not affected by
relocation.
SHN_COMMON
Symbols defined relative to this section are common symbols,
such as FORTRAN COMMON or unallocated C external variables.
SHN_HIRESERVE
This value specifies the upper bound of the range of reserved
indices. The system reserves indices between SHN_LORESERVE
and SHN_HIRESERVE, inclusive. The section header table does
not contain entries for the reserved indices.
The section header has the following structure:
typedef struct {
uint32_t sh_name;
uint32_t sh_type;
uint32_t sh_flags;
Elf32_Addr sh_addr;
Elf32_Off sh_offset;
uint32_t sh_size;
uint32_t sh_link;
uint32_t sh_info;
uint32_t sh_addralign;
uint32_t sh_entsize;
} Elf32_Shdr;
typedef struct {
uint32_t sh_name;
uint32_t sh_type;
uint64_t sh_flags;
Elf64_Addr sh_addr;
Elf64_Off sh_offset;
uint64_t sh_size;
uint32_t sh_link;
uint32_t sh_info;
uint64_t sh_addralign;
uint64_t sh_entsize;
} Elf64_Shdr;
No real differences exist between the 32-bit and 64-bit section head‐
ers.
sh_name
This member specifies the name of the section. Its value is
an index into the section header string table section, giving
the location of a null-terminated string.
sh_type
This member categorizes the section's contents and semantics.
SHT_NULL
This value marks the section header as inactive. It
does not have an associated section. Other members of
the section header have undefined values.
SHT_PROGBITS
This section holds information defined by the program,
whose format and meaning are determined solely by the
program.
SHT_SYMTAB
This section holds a symbol table. Typically,
SHT_SYMTAB provides symbols for link editing, though it
may also be used for dynamic linking. As a complete
symbol table, it may contain many symbols unnecessary
for dynamic linking. An object file can also contain a
SHT_DYNSYM section.
SHT_STRTAB
This section holds a string table. An object file may
have multiple string table sections.
SHT_RELA
This section holds relocation entries with explicit ad‐
dends, such as type Elf32_Rela for the 32-bit class of
object files. An object may have multiple relocation
sections.
SHT_HASH
This section holds a symbol hash table. An object par‐
ticipating in dynamic linking must contain a symbol
hash table. An object file may have only one hash ta‐
ble.
SHT_DYNAMIC
This section holds information for dynamic linking. An
object file may have only one dynamic section.
SHT_NOTE
This section holds notes (ElfN_Nhdr).
SHT_NOBITS
A section of this type occupies no space in the file
but otherwise resembles SHT_PROGBITS. Although this
section contains no bytes, the sh_offset member con‐
tains the conceptual file offset.
SHT_REL
This section holds relocation offsets without explicit
addends, such as type Elf32_Rel for the 32-bit class of
object files. An object file may have multiple reloca‐
tion sections.
SHT_SHLIB
This section is reserved but has unspecified semantics.
SHT_DYNSYM
This section holds a minimal set of dynamic linking
symbols. An object file can also contain a SHT_SYMTAB
section.
SHT_LOPROC, SHT_HIPROC
Values in the inclusive range [SHT_LOPROC, SHT_HIPROC]
are reserved for processor-specific semantics.
SHT_LOUSER
This value specifies the lower bound of the range of
indices reserved for application programs.
SHT_HIUSER
This value specifies the upper bound of the range of
indices reserved for application programs. Section
types between SHT_LOUSER and SHT_HIUSER may be used by
the application, without conflicting with current or
future system-defined section types.
sh_flags
Sections support one-bit flags that describe miscellaneous at‐
tributes. If a flag bit is set in sh_flags, the attribute is
"on" for the section. Otherwise, the attribute is "off" or
does not apply. Undefined attributes are set to zero.
SHF_WRITE
This section contains data that should be writable dur‐
ing process execution.
SHF_ALLOC
This section occupies memory during process execution.
Some control sections do not reside in the memory image
of an object file. This attribute is off for those
sections.
SHF_EXECINSTR
This section contains executable machine instructions.
SHF_MASKPROC
All bits included in this mask are reserved for proces‐
sor-specific semantics.
sh_addr
If this section appears in the memory image of a process, this
member holds the address at which the section's first byte
should reside. Otherwise, the member contains zero.
sh_offset
This member's value holds the byte offset from the beginning
of the file to the first byte in the section. One section
type, SHT_NOBITS, occupies no space in the file, and its
sh_offset member locates the conceptual placement in the file.
sh_size
This member holds the section's size in bytes. Unless the
section type is SHT_NOBITS, the section occupies sh_size bytes
in the file. A section of type SHT_NOBITS may have a nonzero
size, but it occupies no space in the file.
sh_link
This member holds a section header table index link, whose in‐
terpretation depends on the section type.
sh_info
This member holds extra information, whose interpretation de‐
pends on the section type.
sh_addralign
Some sections have address alignment constraints. If a sec‐
tion holds a doubleword, the system must ensure doubleword
alignment for the entire section. That is, the value of
sh_addr must be congruent to zero, modulo the value of sh_ad‐
dralign. Only zero and positive integral powers of two are
allowed. The value 0 or 1 means that the section has no
alignment constraints.
sh_entsize
Some sections hold a table of fixed-sized entries, such as a
symbol table. For such a section, this member gives the size
in bytes for each entry. This member contains zero if the
section does not hold a table of fixed-size entries.
Various sections hold program and control information:
.bss This section holds uninitialized data that contributes to the
program's memory image. By definition, the system initializes
the data with zeros when the program begins to run. This sec‐
tion is of type SHT_NOBITS. The attribute types are SHF_ALLOC
and SHF_WRITE.
.comment
This section holds version control information. This section
is of type SHT_PROGBITS. No attribute types are used.
.ctors This section holds initialized pointers to the C++ constructor
functions. This section is of type SHT_PROGBITS. The attri‐
bute types are SHF_ALLOC and SHF_WRITE.
.data This section holds initialized data that contribute to the
program's memory image. This section is of type SHT_PROGBITS.
The attribute types are SHF_ALLOC and SHF_WRITE.
.data1 This section holds initialized data that contribute to the
program's memory image. This section is of type SHT_PROGBITS.
The attribute types are SHF_ALLOC and SHF_WRITE.
.debug This section holds information for symbolic debugging. The
contents are unspecified. This section is of type SHT_PROG‐
BITS. No attribute types are used.
.dtors This section holds initialized pointers to the C++ destructor
functions. This section is of type SHT_PROGBITS. The attri‐
bute types are SHF_ALLOC and SHF_WRITE.
.dynamic
This section holds dynamic linking information. The section's
attributes will include the SHF_ALLOC bit. Whether the
SHF_WRITE bit is set is processor-specific. This section is
of type SHT_DYNAMIC. See the attributes above.
.dynstr
This section holds strings needed for dynamic linking, most
commonly the strings that represent the names associated with
symbol table entries. This section is of type SHT_STRTAB.
The attribute type used is SHF_ALLOC.
.dynsym
This section holds the dynamic linking symbol table. This
section is of type SHT_DYNSYM. The attribute used is SHF_AL‐
LOC.
.fini This section holds executable instructions that contribute to
the process termination code. When a program exits normally
the system arranges to execute the code in this section. This
section is of type SHT_PROGBITS. The attributes used are
SHF_ALLOC and SHF_EXECINSTR.
.gnu.version
This section holds the version symbol table, an array of
ElfN_Half elements. This section is of type SHT_GNU_versym.
The attribute type used is SHF_ALLOC.
.gnu.version_d
This section holds the version symbol definitions, a table of
ElfN_Verdef structures. This section is of type
SHT_GNU_verdef. The attribute type used is SHF_ALLOC.
.gnu.version_r
This section holds the version symbol needed elements, a table
of ElfN_Verneed structures. This section is of type
SHT_GNU_versym. The attribute type used is SHF_ALLOC.
.got This section holds the global offset table. This section is
of type SHT_PROGBITS. The attributes are processor-specific.
.hash This section holds a symbol hash table. This section is of
type SHT_HASH. The attribute used is SHF_ALLOC.
.init This section holds executable instructions that contribute to
the process initialization code. When a program starts to run
the system arranges to execute the code in this section before
calling the main program entry point. This section is of type
SHT_PROGBITS. The attributes used are SHF_ALLOC and SHF_EX‐
ECINSTR.
.interp
This section holds the pathname of a program interpreter. If
the file has a loadable segment that includes the section, the
section's attributes will include the SHF_ALLOC bit. Other‐
wise, that bit will be off. This section is of type SHT_PROG‐
BITS.
.line This section holds line number information for symbolic debug‐
ging, which describes the correspondence between the program
source and the machine code. The contents are unspecified.
This section is of type SHT_PROGBITS. No attribute types are
used.
.note This section holds various notes. This section is of type
SHT_NOTE. No attribute types are used.
.note.ABI-tag
This section is used to declare the expected run-time ABI of
the ELF image. It may include the operating system name and
its run-time versions. This section is of type SHT_NOTE. The
only attribute used is SHF_ALLOC.
.note.gnu.build-id
This section is used to hold an ID that uniquely identifies
the contents of the ELF image. Different files with the same
build ID should contain the same executable content. See the
--build-id option to the GNU linker (ld (1)) for more details.
This section is of type SHT_NOTE. The only attribute used is
SHF_ALLOC.
.note.GNU-stack
This section is used in Linux object files for declaring stack
attributes. This section is of type SHT_PROGBITS. The only
attribute used is SHF_EXECINSTR. This indicates to the GNU
linker that the object file requires an executable stack.
.note.openbsd.ident
OpenBSD native executables usually contain this section to
identify themselves so the kernel can bypass any compatibility
ELF binary emulation tests when loading the file.
.plt This section holds the procedure linkage table. This section
is of type SHT_PROGBITS. The attributes are processor-spe‐
cific.
.relNAME
This section holds relocation information as described below.
If the file has a loadable segment that includes relocation,
the section's attributes will include the SHF_ALLOC bit. Oth‐
erwise, the bit will be off. By convention, "NAME" is sup‐
plied by the section to which the relocations apply. Thus a
relocation section for .text normally would have the name
.rel.text. This section is of type SHT_REL.
.relaNAME
This section holds relocation information as described below.
If the file has a loadable segment that includes relocation,
the section's attributes will include the SHF_ALLOC bit. Oth‐
erwise, the bit will be off. By convention, "NAME" is sup‐
plied by the section to which the relocations apply. Thus a
relocation section for .text normally would have the name
.rela.text. This section is of type SHT_RELA.
.rodata
This section holds read-only data that typically contributes
to a nonwritable segment in the process image. This section
is of type SHT_PROGBITS. The attribute used is SHF_ALLOC.
.rodata1
This section holds read-only data that typically contributes
to a nonwritable segment in the process image. This section
is of type SHT_PROGBITS. The attribute used is SHF_ALLOC.
.shstrtab
This section holds section names. This section is of type
SHT_STRTAB. No attribute types are used.
.strtab
This section holds strings, most commonly the strings that
represent the names associated with symbol table entries. If
the file has a loadable segment that includes the symbol
string table, the section's attributes will include the
SHF_ALLOC bit. Otherwise, the bit will be off. This section
is of type SHT_STRTAB.
.symtab
This section holds a symbol table. If the file has a loadable
segment that includes the symbol table, the section's at‐
tributes will include the SHF_ALLOC bit. Otherwise, the bit
will be off. This section is of type SHT_SYMTAB.
.text This section holds the "text", or executable instructions, of
a program. This section is of type SHT_PROGBITS. The at‐
tributes used are SHF_ALLOC and SHF_EXECINSTR.
String and symbol tables
String table sections hold null-terminated character sequences, com‐
monly called strings. The object file uses these strings to repre‐
sent symbol and section names. One references a string as an index
into the string table section. The first byte, which is index zero,
is defined to hold a null byte ('\0'). Similarly, a string table's
last byte is defined to hold a null byte, ensuring null termination
for all strings.
An object file's symbol table holds information needed to locate and
relocate a program's symbolic definitions and references. A symbol
table index is a subscript into this array.
typedef struct {
uint32_t st_name;
Elf32_Addr st_value;
uint32_t st_size;
unsigned char st_info;
unsigned char st_other;
uint16_t st_shndx;
} Elf32_Sym;
typedef struct {
uint32_t st_name;
unsigned char st_info;
unsigned char st_other;
uint16_t st_shndx;
Elf64_Addr st_value;
uint64_t st_size;
} Elf64_Sym;
The 32-bit and 64-bit versions have the same members, just in a dif‐
ferent order.
st_name
This member holds an index into the object file's symbol
string table, which holds character representations of the
symbol names. If the value is nonzero, it represents a string
table index that gives the symbol name. Otherwise, the symbol
has no name.
st_value
This member gives the value of the associated symbol.
st_size
Many symbols have associated sizes. This member holds zero if
the symbol has no size or an unknown size.
st_info
This member specifies the symbol's type and binding at‐
tributes:
STT_NOTYPE
The symbol's type is not defined.
STT_OBJECT
The symbol is associated with a data object.
STT_FUNC
The symbol is associated with a function or other exe‐
cutable code.
STT_SECTION
The symbol is associated with a section. Symbol table
entries of this type exist primarily for relocation and
normally have STB_LOCAL bindings.
STT_FILE
By convention, the symbol's name gives the name of the
source file associated with the object file. A file
symbol has STB_LOCAL bindings, its section index is
SHN_ABS, and it precedes the other STB_LOCAL symbols of
the file, if it is present.
STT_LOPROC, STT_HIPROC
Values in the inclusive range [STT_LOPROC, STT_HIPROC]
are reserved for processor-specific semantics.
STB_LOCAL
Local symbols are not visible outside the object file
containing their definition. Local symbols of the same
name may exist in multiple files without interfering
with each other.
STB_GLOBAL
Global symbols are visible to all object files being
combined. One file's definition of a global symbol
will satisfy another file's undefined reference to the
same symbol.
STB_WEAK
Weak symbols resemble global symbols, but their defini‐
tions have lower precedence.
STB_LOPROC, STB_HIPROC
Values in the inclusive range [STB_LOPROC, STB_HIPROC]
are reserved for processor-specific semantics.
There are macros for packing and unpacking the binding and
type fields:
ELF32_ST_BIND(info), ELF64_ST_BIND(info)
Extract a binding from an st_info value.
ELF32_ST_TYPE(info), ELF64_ST_TYPE(info)
Extract a type from an st_info value.
ELF32_ST_INFO(bind, type), ELF64_ST_INFO(bind, type)
Convert a binding and a type into an st_info value.
st_other
This member defines the symbol visibility.
STV_DEFAULT
Default symbol visibility rules. Global and weak sym‐
bols are available to other modules; references in the
local module can be interposed by definitions in other
modules.
STV_INTERNAL
Processor-specific hidden class.
STV_HIDDEN
Symbol is unavailable to other modules; references in
the local module always resolve to the local symbol
(i.e., the symbol can't be interposed by definitions in
other modules).
STV_PROTECTED
Symbol is available to other modules, but references in
the local module always resolve to the local symbol.
There are macros for extracting the visibility type:
ELF32_ST_VISIBILITY(other) or ELF64_ST_VISIBILITY(other)
st_shndx
Every symbol table entry is "defined" in relation to some sec‐
tion. This member holds the relevant section header table in‐
dex.
Relocation entries (Rel & Rela)
Relocation is the process of connecting symbolic references with sym‐
bolic definitions. Relocatable files must have information that de‐
scribes how to modify their section contents, thus allowing exe‐
cutable and shared object files to hold the right information for a
process's program image. Relocation entries are these data.
Relocation structures that do not need an addend:
typedef struct {
Elf32_Addr r_offset;
uint32_t r_info;
} Elf32_Rel;
typedef struct {
Elf64_Addr r_offset;
uint64_t r_info;
} Elf64_Rel;
Relocation structures that need an addend:
typedef struct {
Elf32_Addr r_offset;
uint32_t r_info;
int32_t r_addend;
} Elf32_Rela;
typedef struct {
Elf64_Addr r_offset;
uint64_t r_info;
int64_t r_addend;
} Elf64_Rela;
r_offset
This member gives the location at which to apply the reloca‐
tion action. For a relocatable file, the value is the byte
offset from the beginning of the section to the storage unit
affected by the relocation. For an executable file or shared
object, the value is the virtual address of the storage unit
affected by the relocation.
r_info This member gives both the symbol table index with respect to
which the relocation must be made and the type of relocation
to apply. Relocation types are processor-specific. When the
text refers to a relocation entry's relocation type or symbol
table index, it means the result of applying ELF[32|64]_R_TYPE
or ELF[32|64]_R_SYM, respectively, to the entry's r_info mem‐
ber.
r_addend
This member specifies a constant addend used to compute the
value to be stored into the relocatable field.
Dynamic tags (Dyn)
The .dynamic section contains a series of structures that hold rele‐
vant dynamic linking information. The d_tag member controls the in‐
terpretation of d_un.
typedef struct {
Elf32_Sword d_tag;
union {
Elf32_Word d_val;
Elf32_Addr d_ptr;
} d_un;
} Elf32_Dyn;
extern Elf32_Dyn _DYNAMIC[];
typedef struct {
Elf64_Sxword d_tag;
union {
Elf64_Xword d_val;
Elf64_Addr d_ptr;
} d_un;
} Elf64_Dyn;
extern Elf64_Dyn _DYNAMIC[];
d_tag This member may have any of the following values:
DT_NULL Marks end of dynamic section
DT_NEEDED String table offset to name of a needed library
DT_PLTRELSZ Size in bytes of PLT relocation entries
DT_PLTGOT Address of PLT and/or GOT
DT_HASH Address of symbol hash table
DT_STRTAB Address of string table
DT_SYMTAB Address of symbol table
DT_RELA Address of Rela relocation table
DT_RELASZ Size in bytes of the Rela relocation table
DT_RELAENT Size in bytes of a Rela relocation table entry
DT_STRSZ Size in bytes of string table
DT_SYMENT Size in bytes of a symbol table entry
DT_INIT Address of the initialization function
DT_FINI Address of the termination function
DT_SONAME String table offset to name of shared object
DT_RPATH String table offset to library search path (depre‐
cated)
DT_SYMBOLIC Alert linker to search this shared object before
the executable for symbols
DT_REL Address of Rel relocation table
DT_RELSZ Size in bytes of Rel relocation table
DT_RELENT Size in bytes of a Rel table entry
DT_PLTREL Type of relocation entry to which the PLT refers
(Rela or Rel)
DT_DEBUG Undefined use for debugging
DT_TEXTREL Absence of this entry indicates that no relocation
entries should apply to a nonwritable segment
DT_JMPREL Address of relocation entries associated solely
with the PLT
DT_BIND_NOW Instruct dynamic linker to process all relocations
before transferring control to the executable
DT_RUNPATH String table offset to library search path
DT_LOPROC, DT_HIPROC
Values in the inclusive range [DT_LOPROC,
DT_HIPROC] are reserved for processor-specific se‐
mantics
d_val This member represents integer values with various interpreta‐
tions.
d_ptr This member represents program virtual addresses. When inter‐
preting these addresses, the actual address should be computed
based on the original file value and memory base address.
Files do not contain relocation entries to fixup these ad‐
dresses.
_DYNAMIC
Array containing all the dynamic structures in the .dynamic
section. This is automatically populated by the linker.
Notes (Nhdr)
ELF notes allow for appending arbitrary information for the system to
use. They are largely used by core files (e_type of ET_CORE), but
many projects define their own set of extensions. For example, the
GNU tool chain uses ELF notes to pass information from the linker to
the C library.
Note sections contain a series of notes (see the struct definitions
below). Each note is followed by the name field (whose length is de‐
fined in n_namesz) and then by the descriptor field (whose length is
defined in n_descsz) and whose starting address has a 4 byte align‐
ment. Neither field is defined in the note struct due to their arbi‐
trary lengths.
An example for parsing out two consecutive notes should clarify their
layout in memory:
void *memory, *name, *desc;
Elf64_Nhdr *note, *next_note;
/* The buffer is pointing to the start of the section/segment */
note = memory;
/* If the name is defined, it follows the note */
name = note->n_namesz == 0 ? NULL : memory + sizeof(*note);
/* If the descriptor is defined, it follows the name
(with alignment) */
desc = note->n_descsz == 0 ? NULL :
memory + sizeof(*note) + ALIGN_UP(note->n_namesz, 4);
/* The next note follows both (with alignment) */
next_note = memory + sizeof(*note) +
ALIGN_UP(note->n_namesz, 4) +
ALIGN_UP(note->n_descsz, 4);
Keep in mind that the interpretation of n_type depends on the name‐
space defined by the n_namesz field. If the n_namesz field is not
set (e.g., is 0), then there are two sets of notes: one for core
files and one for all other ELF types. If the namespace is unknown,
then tools will usually fallback to these sets of notes as well.
typedef struct {
Elf32_Word n_namesz;
Elf32_Word n_descsz;
Elf32_Word n_type;
} Elf32_Nhdr;
typedef struct {
Elf64_Word n_namesz;
Elf64_Word n_descsz;
Elf64_Word n_type;
} Elf64_Nhdr;
n_namesz
The length of the name field in bytes. The contents will im‐
mediately follow this note in memory. The name is null termi‐
nated. For example, if the name is "GNU", then n_namesz will
be set to 4.
n_descsz
The length of the descriptor field in bytes. The contents
will immediately follow the name field in memory.
n_type Depending on the value of the name field, this member may have
any of the following values:
Core files (e_type = ET_CORE)
Notes used by all core files. These are highly operating
system or architecture specific and often require close
coordination with kernels, C libraries, and debuggers.
These are used when the namespace is the default (i.e.,
n_namesz will be set to 0), or a fallback when the name‐
space is unknown.
NT_PRSTATUS prstatus struct
NT_FPREGSET fpregset struct
NT_PRPSINFO prpsinfo struct
NT_PRXREG prxregset struct
NT_TASKSTRUCT task structure
NT_PLATFORM String from sysinfo(SI_PLATFORM)
NT_AUXV auxv array
NT_GWINDOWS gwindows struct
NT_ASRS asrset struct
NT_PSTATUS pstatus struct
NT_PSINFO psinfo struct
NT_PRCRED prcred struct
NT_UTSNAME utsname struct
NT_LWPSTATUS lwpstatus struct
NT_LWPSINFO lwpinfo struct
NT_PRFPXREG fprxregset struct
NT_SIGINFO siginfo_t (size might increase over
time)
NT_FILE Contains information about mapped
files
NT_PRXFPREG user_fxsr_struct
NT_PPC_VMX PowerPC Altivec/VMX registers
NT_PPC_SPE PowerPC SPE/EVR registers
NT_PPC_VSX PowerPC VSX registers
NT_386_TLS i386 TLS slots (struct user_desc)
NT_386_IOPERM x86 io permission bitmap (1=deny)
NT_X86_XSTATE x86 extended state using xsave
NT_S390_HIGH_GPRS s390 upper register halves
NT_S390_TIMER s390 timer register
NT_S390_TODCMP s390 time-of-day (TOD) clock com‐
parator register
NT_S390_TODPREG s390 time-of-day (TOD) programmable
register
NT_S390_CTRS s390 control registers
NT_S390_PREFIX s390 prefix register
NT_S390_LAST_BREAK s390 breaking event address
NT_S390_SYSTEM_CALL s390 system call restart data
NT_S390_TDB s390 transaction diagnostic block
NT_ARM_VFP ARM VFP/NEON registers
NT_ARM_TLS ARM TLS register
NT_ARM_HW_BREAK ARM hardware breakpoint registers
NT_ARM_HW_WATCH ARM hardware watchpoint registers
NT_ARM_SYSTEM_CALL ARM system call number
n_name = GNU
Extensions used by the GNU tool chain.
NT_GNU_ABI_TAG
Operating system (OS) ABI information. The desc
field will be 4 words:
• word 0: OS descriptor (ELF_NOTE_OS_LINUX,
ELF_NOTE_OS_GNU, and so on)`
• word 1: major version of the ABI
• word 2: minor version of the ABI
• word 3: subminor version of the ABI
NT_GNU_HWCAP
Synthetic hwcap information. The desc field be‐
gins with two words:
• word 0: number of entries
• word 1: bit mask of enabled entries
Then follow variable-length entries, one byte fol‐
lowed by a null-terminated hwcap name string. The
byte gives the bit number to test if enabled, (1U
<< bit) & bit mask.
NT_GNU_BUILD_ID
Unique build ID as generated by the GNU ld(1)
--build-id option. The desc consists of any non‐
zero number of bytes.
NT_GNU_GOLD_VERSION
The desc contains the GNU Gold linker version
used.
Default/unknown namespace (e_type != ET_CORE)
These are used when the namespace is the default (i.e.,
n_namesz will be set to 0), or a fallback when the name‐
space is unknown.
NT_VERSION A version string of some sort.
NT_ARCH Architecture information.
ELF first appeared in System V. The ELF format is an adopted
standard.
The extensions for e_phnum, e_shnum and e_shstrndx respectively are
Linux extensions. Sun, BSD and AMD64 also support them; for further
information, look under SEE ALSO.
as(1), elfedit(1), gdb(1), ld(1), nm(1), objdump(1), patchelf(1),
readelf(1), size(1), strings(1), strip(1), execve(2),
dl_iterate_phdr(3), core(5), ld.so(8)
Hewlett-Packard, Elf-64 Object File Format.
Santa Cruz Operation, System V Application Binary Interface.
UNIX System Laboratories, "Object Files", Executable and Linking
Format (ELF).
Sun Microsystems, Linker and Libraries Guide.
AMD64 ABI Draft, System V Application Binary Interface AMD64
Architecture Processor Supplement.
This page is part of release 5.09 of the Linux man-pages project. A
description of the project, information about reporting bugs, and the
latest version of this page, can be found at
https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.
Linux 2020-04-11 ELF(5)
Pages that refer to this page: dl_iterate_phdr(3), edata(3), end(3), etext(3), core(5), ld-linux(8), ld-linux.so(8), ld.so(8)
Copyright and license for this manual page
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