Manual: ranlib

RANLIB(1)					    GNU Development Tools					   RANLIB(1)

NAME
       ranlib - generate an index to an archive

SYNOPSIS
       ranlib [--plugin name] [-DhHvVt] archive

DESCRIPTION
       ranlib generates an index to the contents of an archive and stores it in the archive.  The index lists each symbol
       defined by a member of an archive that is a relocatable object file.

       You may use nm -s or nm --print-armap to list this index.

       An archive with such an index speeds up linking to the library and allows routines in the library to call each other
       without regard to their placement in the archive.

       The GNU ranlib program is another form of GNU ar; running ranlib is completely equivalent to executing ar -s.

OPTIONS
       -h
       -H
       --help
	   Show usage information for ranlib.

       -v
       -V
       --version
	   Show the version number of ranlib.

       -D  Operate  in	deterministic  mode.   The  symbol  map archive member's header will show zero for the UID, GID, and
	   timestamp.  When this option is used, multiple runs will produce identical output files.

	   If binutils was configured with --enable-deterministic-archives, then this mode is on  by  default.	 It  can  be
	   disabled with the -U option, described below.

       -t  Update the timestamp of the symbol map of an archive.

       -U  Do  not  operate  in deterministic mode.  This is the inverse of the -D option, above: the archive index will get
	   actual UID, GID, timestamp, and file mode values.

	   If binutils was configured without --enable-deterministic-archives, then this mode is on by default.

       @file
	   Read command-line options from file.	 The options read are inserted in place of the original	 @file	option.	  If
	   file does not exist, or cannot be read, then the option will be treated literally, and not removed.

	   Options  in file are separated by whitespace.  A whitespace character may be included in an option by surrounding
	   the entire option in either single or double quotes.	 Any character (including a backslash) may  be	included  by
	   prefixing  the  character to be included with a backslash.  The file may itself contain additional @file options;
	   any such options will be processed recursively.

SEE ALSO
       ar(1), nm(1), and the Info entries for binutils.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (c) 1991-2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

       Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU	 Free  Documentation
       License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with
       no  Front-Cover	Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU
       Free Documentation License".

binutils-2.46						 2026-03-15						   RANLIB(1)