pcap_create(3) pcap_create(3)
NAME
pcap_create - create a live capture handle
SYNOPSIS
#include <pcap/pcap.h>
char errbuf[PCAP_ERRBUF_SIZE];
pcap_create(3) char *source, char *errbuf);
DESCRIPTION
pcap_create() is used to create a packet capture handle to capture
packets on a device (typically a network interface, see
pcap_findalldevs(3) for a more detailed explanation). source is a
string that specifies the capture device to open; in this function, a
null pointer means the same as the string "any". errbuf is a buffer
large enough to hold at least PCAP_ERRBUF_SIZE chars.
The returned handle must be activated with pcap_activate(3) before
packets can be captured with it; options for the capture, such as
promiscuous mode, can be set on the handle before activating it.
RETURN VALUE
pcap_create() returns a pcap_t * on success and a null pointer on
failure. If a null pointer is returned, errbuf is filled in with an
appropriate error message.
SEE ALSO
pcap(3)
6 September 2026 pcap_create(3)
libpcap 1.11.0 - Generated Sun Sep 13 16:53:20 CDT 2026