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

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

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

# endservent

Close the services database after a walk with [`getservent`](getservent).

`endservent` is the teardown half of the services-database iteration
triplet. After [`setservent`](setservent) opens the database (typically
`/etc/services` on Linux) and a sequence of [`getservent`](getservent)
calls walks it entry by entry, `endservent` releases the underlying
handle and any buffered state the C library is holding. It wraps the
POSIX `endservent(3)` call one-to-one.

## Synopsis

```perl
endservent;
endservent();
```

## What you get back

Nothing useful. The function is called for its side effect; it does
not return a meaningful value. Do not test the return value.

## Global state it touches

- The system-wide services-database iterator opened by
  [`setservent`](setservent) or implicitly by the first
  [`getservent`](getservent) / [`getservbyname`](getservbyname) /
  [`getservbyport`](getservbyport) call. `endservent` closes that
  iterator.
- [`$!`](../perlvar) is **not** meaningfully set by this call; the
  POSIX contract for `endservent(3)` defines no error return.

## Examples

Paired with [`setservent`](setservent) and [`getservent`](getservent) to
enumerate every entry in `/etc/services`:

```perl
setservent 0;
while (my @e = getservent) {
    last unless @e;
    my ($name, $aliases, $port, $proto) = @e;
    print "$name/$proto = $port\n";
}
endservent;
```

Close a walk early. The database was opened implicitly by the first
[`getservent`](getservent); `endservent` is still the right way to
release it:

```perl
while (my @e = getservent) {
    last if $e[0] eq 'http';
}
endservent;
```

Defensive cleanup around a block that may leave the iterator open.
Harmless when no iteration is in progress:

```perl
eval {
    setservent 1;
    scan_services();
    1;
} or do {
    endservent;          # always release the handle
    die $@;
};
endservent;
```

## Edge cases

- **Calling without a preceding [`setservent`](setservent) or
  [`getservent`](getservent)** is harmless. The underlying C call
  tolerates a no-op close.
- **Calling twice** is harmless for the same reason. Repeated
  `endservent` does not report an error.
- **Does not affect the name and port lookup functions** —
  [`getservbyname`](getservbyname) and [`getservbyport`](getservbyport)
  open and close their own short-lived handles and are unaffected by
  the iterator state that `endservent` manages.
- **No prototype, no arguments**. `endservent $x` is a compile-time
  error. Use `endservent;` or `endservent();`.
- **Not portable beyond Unix-like systems**. On platforms where the
  C library lacks `endservent(3)`, the call croaks with
  `endservent not implemented`.

## Differences from upstream

Fully compatible with upstream Perl 5.42.

## See also

- [`setservent`](setservent) — open the services database and, with a
  non-zero `STAYOPEN`, keep the handle across subsequent lookups
- [`getservent`](getservent) — read the next entry from the open
  services database; pair every iteration loop with `endservent`
- [`getservbyname`](getservbyname) — one-shot lookup by service name;
  does not interact with the iterator `endservent` closes
- [`getservbyport`](getservbyport) — one-shot lookup by port number;
  same independence from the iterator
- [`endprotoent`](endprotoent) — the protocols-database analogue, same
  shape and same rules
- [`endhostent`](endhostent) — the hosts-database analogue