---
name: endnetent
signature: 'endnetent'
since: 5.0
status: documented
categories: ["Network info"]
---

```{index} single: endnetent; Perl built-in
```

*[Network info](../perlfunc-by-category)*

# endnetent

Close the networks database after iteration.

`endnetent` releases the resources held by the networks database —
typically the `/etc/networks` file or its NSS-backed equivalent — that
were opened implicitly by the first call to [`getnetent`](getnetent),
[`getnetbyname`](getnetbyname), or [`getnetbyaddr`](getnetbyaddr), or
explicitly by [`setnetent`](setnetent). After `endnetent` the iteration
cursor is gone; a subsequent `getnetent` starts a fresh sweep from the
top of the database. It is a thin wrapper over the system C library's
`endnetent(3)`.

## Synopsis

```perl
endnetent;
endnetent();
```

## What you get back

A system-defined true value. The C function returns `void`; Perl
surfaces a placeholder so the call can stand as a statement. Do not
compare the return value against anything — there is nothing useful in
it.

## Global state it touches

`endnetent` operates on the process-wide networks-database cursor
owned by libc. That cursor is shared with [`getnetent`](getnetent),
[`getnetbyname`](getnetbyname), [`getnetbyaddr`](getnetbyaddr), and
[`setnetent`](setnetent); a call here invalidates the iteration state
those functions depend on. No Perl special variable is touched.

## Examples

Paired with [`setnetent`](setnetent) and [`getnetent`](getnetent) for
a complete sweep of the networks database:

```perl
setnetent(1);                       # stayopen = 1
while (my @net = getnetent()) {
    my ($name, $aliases, $addrtype, $net) = @net;
    print "$name\t$net\n";
}
endnetent();                        # release the cursor
```

Close after the handful of lookups you actually needed, so the
database file does not stay open for the rest of the program:

```perl
setnetent(0);
my @loopback = getnetbyname("loopback");
my @link     = getnetbyname("link-local");
endnetent();
```

Safe to call when the database was never opened — libc treats it as a
no-op:

```perl
endnetent();                        # harmless on a fresh process
```

## Edge cases

- **No arguments, list-operator precedence**. `endnetent` takes no
  arguments but parses as a list operator, so a stray term after it is
  swallowed: `endnetent $x` is `endnetent($x)` and produces a
  "Too many arguments" compile-time error. Write `endnetent;` or
  `endnetent();`.
- **Repeated calls**. Calling `endnetent` twice in a row is a no-op on
  the second call on every libc we target. Do not rely on it raising
  an error.
- **Interleaving with other DB iterators**. The networks cursor is
  independent of the cursors used by [`getpwent`](getpwent),
  [`getgrent`](getgrent), [`gethostent`](gethostent),
  [`getprotoent`](getprotoent), and [`getservent`](getservent).
  `endnetent` does not close those — call the matching
  `end*ent` for each iterator you opened.
- **Forking between `setnetent` and `endnetent`**. The cursor lives in
  the parent's libc state; a child inherits it at `fork` time but
  further `getnetent` calls in either process will desynchronise.
  Close and re-open in the child.
- **NSS backends**. On glibc the networks database routes through
  NSS, so the meaning of "close" depends on the configured service
  (`files`, `nis`, `ldap`, …). User-visible behaviour — iteration
  restarts on the next `getnetent` — is the same; the cost of
  `endnetent` is not.
- **Thread safety**. The libc networks cursor is a single
  process-global resource. pperl does not serialize access to it; a
  program that iterates the networks database from multiple threads
  must do its own locking.

## Differences from upstream

Fully compatible with upstream Perl 5.42.

## See also

- [`setnetent`](setnetent) — open the networks database and choose
  whether it stays open across individual lookups
- [`getnetent`](getnetent) — read the next entry from the cursor that
  `endnetent` closes
- [`getnetbyname`](getnetbyname) — single lookup by network name;
  implicitly opens the database but does not close it
- [`getnetbyaddr`](getnetbyaddr) — single lookup by numeric address,
  same implicit-open, no-implicit-close rule
- [`endhostent`](endhostent) — the hosts-database analogue; same
  pattern, independent cursor
- [`endservent`](endservent) — the services-database analogue for
  completeness of the `end*ent` family