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c++windowsfile-descriptor

Is HANDLE similar to file descriptor in Linux?

Is HANDLE similar to file descriptor in Linux? As far as I know, HANDLE is used for handling every resources on Windows, such as font, icons, files, devices..., which in essence is just a void pointer point to a memory block holding data of a specific resource

Solution

  • Yes, Windows handles are very similar to Unix file descriptors (FDs).

    Note that a HANDLE is not a pointer to a block of memory. Although HANDLE is typedef'd as void *, that's just to make it more opaque. In practice, a HANDLE is an index that is looked up in a table, just as an FD number is.

    This blog post explores some of the similarities and differences: http://lackingrhoticity.blogspot.com/2015/05/passing-fds-handles-between-processes.html