arpa_inet.h - Linux


Overview

arpa_inet.h is a header file that contains definitions for the arpa/inet.h library. It includes the standard definitions for internet operations and the following operations.

  • int htons (short x): Convert a short integer from host byte order to network byte order (big-endian).
  • short ntohs (short x): Convert a short integer from network byte order to host byte order (little-endian).
  • long int htonl (long int x): Convert a long integer from host byte order to network byte order (big-endian).
  • long int ntohl (long int x): Convert a long integer from network byte order to host byte order (little-endian).

Syntax

#include <arpa/inet.h>

Options / Flags

There are no options or flags associated with this library.

Examples

1. Convert a short integer from host byte order to network byte order.

#include <arpa/inet.h>

int main()
{
    short x = 0x1234;
    short y = htons(x);

    printf("Host byte order: %x\n", x);
    printf("Network byte order: %x\n", y);

    return 0;
}

2. Convert a long integer from network byte order to host byte order.

#include <arpa/inet.h>

int main()
{
    long int x = 0x12345678;
    long int y = ntohl(x);

    printf("Network byte order: %lx\n", x);
    printf("Host byte order: %lx\n", y);

    return 0;
}

Common Issues

  • None reported.

Integration

This library can be used with other Linux commands or tools to perform advanced tasks. For example, it can be used with the socket() function to create a socket and specify the network byte order.

Related Commands

  • socket() – Create a socket
  • bind() – Bind a socket to an address
  • listen() – Listen for connections on a socket
  • accept() – Accept a connection on a socket
  • connect() – Connect to a socket
  • send() – Send data over a socket
  • recv() – Receive data over a socket
  • close() – Close a socket

Further Reading