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authorDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-07 18:49:45 +0000
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+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: (LGPL-2.1 OR BSD-2-Clause)
+
+API naming convention
+=====================
+
+libbpf API provides access to a few logically separated groups of
+functions and types. Every group has its own naming convention
+described here. It's recommended to follow these conventions whenever a
+new function or type is added to keep libbpf API clean and consistent.
+
+All types and functions provided by libbpf API should have one of the
+following prefixes: ``bpf_``, ``btf_``, ``libbpf_``, ``btf_dump_``,
+``ring_buffer_``, ``perf_buffer_``.
+
+System call wrappers
+--------------------
+
+System call wrappers are simple wrappers for commands supported by
+sys_bpf system call. These wrappers should go to ``bpf.h`` header file
+and map one to one to corresponding commands.
+
+For example ``bpf_map_lookup_elem`` wraps ``BPF_MAP_LOOKUP_ELEM``
+command of sys_bpf, ``bpf_prog_attach`` wraps ``BPF_PROG_ATTACH``, etc.
+
+Objects
+-------
+
+Another class of types and functions provided by libbpf API is "objects"
+and functions to work with them. Objects are high-level abstractions
+such as BPF program or BPF map. They're represented by corresponding
+structures such as ``struct bpf_object``, ``struct bpf_program``,
+``struct bpf_map``, etc.
+
+Structures are forward declared and access to their fields should be
+provided via corresponding getters and setters rather than directly.
+
+These objects are associated with corresponding parts of ELF object that
+contains compiled BPF programs.
+
+For example ``struct bpf_object`` represents ELF object itself created
+from an ELF file or from a buffer, ``struct bpf_program`` represents a
+program in ELF object and ``struct bpf_map`` is a map.
+
+Functions that work with an object have names built from object name,
+double underscore and part that describes function purpose.
+
+For example ``bpf_object__open`` consists of the name of corresponding
+object, ``bpf_object``, double underscore and ``open`` that defines the
+purpose of the function to open ELF file and create ``bpf_object`` from
+it.
+
+All objects and corresponding functions other than BTF related should go
+to ``libbpf.h``. BTF types and functions should go to ``btf.h``.
+
+Auxiliary functions
+-------------------
+
+Auxiliary functions and types that don't fit well in any of categories
+described above should have ``libbpf_`` prefix, e.g.
+``libbpf_get_error`` or ``libbpf_prog_type_by_name``.
+
+ABI
+---
+
+libbpf can be both linked statically or used as DSO. To avoid possible
+conflicts with other libraries an application is linked with, all
+non-static libbpf symbols should have one of the prefixes mentioned in
+API documentation above. See API naming convention to choose the right
+name for a new symbol.
+
+Symbol visibility
+-----------------
+
+libbpf follow the model when all global symbols have visibility "hidden"
+by default and to make a symbol visible it has to be explicitly
+attributed with ``LIBBPF_API`` macro. For example:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ LIBBPF_API int bpf_prog_get_fd_by_id(__u32 id);
+
+This prevents from accidentally exporting a symbol, that is not supposed
+to be a part of ABI what, in turn, improves both libbpf developer- and
+user-experiences.
+
+ABI versionning
+---------------
+
+To make future ABI extensions possible libbpf ABI is versioned.
+Versioning is implemented by ``libbpf.map`` version script that is
+passed to linker.
+
+Version name is ``LIBBPF_`` prefix + three-component numeric version,
+starting from ``0.0.1``.
+
+Every time ABI is being changed, e.g. because a new symbol is added or
+semantic of existing symbol is changed, ABI version should be bumped.
+This bump in ABI version is at most once per kernel development cycle.
+
+For example, if current state of ``libbpf.map`` is:
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+ LIBBPF_0.0.1 {
+ global:
+ bpf_func_a;
+ bpf_func_b;
+ local:
+ \*;
+ };
+
+, and a new symbol ``bpf_func_c`` is being introduced, then
+``libbpf.map`` should be changed like this:
+
+.. code-block:: none
+
+ LIBBPF_0.0.1 {
+ global:
+ bpf_func_a;
+ bpf_func_b;
+ local:
+ \*;
+ };
+ LIBBPF_0.0.2 {
+ global:
+ bpf_func_c;
+ } LIBBPF_0.0.1;
+
+, where new version ``LIBBPF_0.0.2`` depends on the previous
+``LIBBPF_0.0.1``.
+
+Format of version script and ways to handle ABI changes, including
+incompatible ones, described in details in [1].
+
+Stand-alone build
+-------------------
+
+Under https://github.com/libbpf/libbpf there is a (semi-)automated
+mirror of the mainline's version of libbpf for a stand-alone build.
+
+However, all changes to libbpf's code base must be upstreamed through
+the mainline kernel tree.
+
+
+API documentation convention
+============================
+
+The libbpf API is documented via comments above definitions in
+header files. These comments can be rendered by doxygen and sphinx
+for well organized html output. This section describes the
+convention in which these comments should be formated.
+
+Here is an example from btf.h:
+
+.. code-block:: c
+
+ /**
+ * @brief **btf__new()** creates a new instance of a BTF object from the raw
+ * bytes of an ELF's BTF section
+ * @param data raw bytes
+ * @param size number of bytes passed in `data`
+ * @return new BTF object instance which has to be eventually freed with
+ * **btf__free()**
+ *
+ * On error, error-code-encoded-as-pointer is returned, not a NULL. To extract
+ * error code from such a pointer `libbpf_get_error()` should be used. If
+ * `libbpf_set_strict_mode(LIBBPF_STRICT_CLEAN_PTRS)` is enabled, NULL is
+ * returned on error instead. In both cases thread-local `errno` variable is
+ * always set to error code as well.
+ */
+
+The comment must start with a block comment of the form '/\*\*'.
+
+The documentation always starts with a @brief directive. This line is a short
+description about this API. It starts with the name of the API, denoted in bold
+like so: **api_name**. Please include an open and close parenthesis if this is a
+function. Follow with the short description of the API. A longer form description
+can be added below the last directive, at the bottom of the comment.
+
+Parameters are denoted with the @param directive, there should be one for each
+parameter. If this is a function with a non-void return, use the @return directive
+to document it.
+
+License
+-------------------
+
+libbpf is dual-licensed under LGPL 2.1 and BSD 2-Clause.
+
+Links
+-------------------
+
+[1] https://www.akkadia.org/drepper/dsohowto.pdf
+ (Chapter 3. Maintaining APIs and ABIs).