---
name: pipe
status: documented
runtime: pp
source: src/runtime/pp/fileio.rs
---
```{index} single: pipe; Perl built-in (pp runtime)
```

# pipe

## Synopsis

```perl
pipe(my $read_fh, my $write_fh) or die "pipe: $!";
```

## Description

Creates a unidirectional pipe pair (read end + write end).

Calls the POSIX `pipe(2)` system call to create a connected pair
of file descriptors.  The first argument receives the read end
and the second receives the write end, both as filehandles.

Typically used together with `fork` to set up inter-process
communication.  Returns 1 on success or undef on failure (with
`$!` set to the system error).

## See also

open, close