# proc_pid_exe - symbolic link to program pathname - man(5) - [phpMan]

[_proc_pid_exe_(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/procpidexe/5/markdown)                          File Formats Manual                         [_proc_pid_exe_(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/procpidexe/5/markdown)

## NAME
       /proc/pid/exe - symbolic link to program pathname

## DESCRIPTION
       _/proc/_pid_/exe_
              Under Linux 2.2 and later, this file is a symbolic link containing the actual pathname
              of  the executed command.  This symbolic link can be dereferenced normally; attempting
              to open it will open the executable.  You can even type _/proc/_pid_/exe_ to  run  another
              copy  of  the  same  executable that is being run by process _pid_.  If the pathname has
              been unlinked, the symbolic link will contain the string ' (deleted)' appended to  the
              original pathname.  In a multithreaded process, the contents of this symbolic link are
              not  available  if  the  main  thread  has  already  terminated  (typically by calling
              [**pthread_exit**(3)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/pthreadexit/3/markdown)).

              Permission to dereference or read ([**readlink**(2)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/readlink/2/markdown)) this symbolic link is  governed  by  a
              ptrace access mode **PTRACE_MODE_READ_FSCREDS **check; see [**ptrace**(2)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ptrace/2/markdown).

              Under  Linux  2.0 and earlier, _/proc/_pid_/exe_ is a pointer to the binary which was exe‐
              cuted, and appears as a symbolic link.  A [**readlink**(2)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/readlink/2/markdown) call on this  file  under  Linux
              2.0 returns a string in the format:

                  [device]:inode

              For  example,  [0301]:1502 would be inode 1502 on device major 03 (IDE, MFM, etc. dri‐
              ves) minor 01 (first partition on the first drive).

              [**find**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/find/1/markdown) with the _-inum_ option can be used to locate the file.

## SEE ALSO
       [**proc**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/proc/5/markdown)

Linux man-pages 6.7                          2023-08-15                              [_proc_pid_exe_(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/procpidexe/5/markdown)