APIs, POSIX, and the C Library

Typically, applications are programmed against an Application Programming Interface (API), not directly to system calls. This is important, because no direct correlation is needed between the interfaces that applications make use of and the actual interface provided by the kernel. An API defines a set of programming interfaces used by applications. Those interfaces can be implemented as a system call, implemented through multiple system calls, or implemented without the use of system calls at all. In fact, the same API can exist on multiple systems and provide the same interface to applications while the implementation of the API itself can differ greatly from system to system.

One of the more common application programming interfaces in the Unix world is based on the POSIX standard. Technically, POSIX comprises a series of standards from the IEEE^[2] that aim to provide a portable operating system standard roughly based on Unix. Linux strives to be POSIX and SUSv3 complaint where applicable.

^[2] IEEE (eye-triple-E) is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. It is a nonprofit professional association involved in numerous technical areas and responsible for many important standards, such as POSIX. For more information, visit http://www.ieee.org.

POSIX is an excellent example of the relationship between APIs and system calls. On most Unix systems, the POSIX-defined API calls have a strong correlation to the system calls. Indeed, the POSIX standard was created to resemble the interfaces provided by earlier Unix systems. On the other hand, some systems that are far from Unix, such as Windows NT, offer POSIX-compatible libraries.

The system call interface in Linux, as with most Unix systems, is provided in part by the C library. The C library implements the main API on Unix systems, including the standard C library and the system call interface. The C library is used by all C programs and, because of C's nature, is easily wrapped by other programming languages for use in their programs. The C library additionally provides the majority of the POSIX API.

From the programmer's point of view, system calls are irrelevant; all the programmer is concerned with is the API. Conversely, the kernel is concerned only with the system calls; what library calls and applications make use of the system calls is not of the kernel's concern. Nonetheless, it is important for the kernel to keep track of the potential uses of a system call and keep the system call as general and flexible as possible.

A common motto related to interfaces in Unix is "provide mechanism, not policy." In other words, Unix system calls exist to provide a specific function in a very abstract sense. The manner in which the function is used is not any of the kernel's business.