Understanding Program Execution: What Happens Between execve() and main() in Linux
By
amitprasad
Pulled from the oven just right. Trustworthy, fact-dense, deeply satisfying.
Summary
This technical blog post explores the complex process that occurs between when the Linux kernel is asked to execute a program via the execve system call and when the program's main() function actually begins execution. The author shares insights gained from working on a RISC-V-based userspace simulator, detailing the sequence of events including ELF file loading, dynamic linking, and program initialization that happens before main() runs.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledtaught myself a lot more than I wanted to know about what happens in-between when the Kernel is asked to run a program, and when the first line of our program's main function is actually executed
When is the OS kernel actually asked to run any program? The answer, at least on Linux, is the execve system call
Here's a summary of that rabbit hole
This is actually quite straightforward! We pass the name of the executable file, a list
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