03 — `timerfd`

Timers as file descriptors. Set an expiry with timerfd_settime, read the fd to retrieve the number of expirations, epoll notifies the loop when the timer fires. Drives everything in the runtime that needs a deadline without a separate timer thread: keepalives, debounce windows, checkpoint intervals.

Kernel source

Path	What
`reference/linux/fs/timerfd.c`	All three syscalls (`timerfd_create`, `timerfd_settime`, `timerfd_gettime`).
`reference/linux/include/uapi/linux/timerfd.h`	`TFD_*` flags.

Man pages

man 2 timerfd_create, man 2 timerfd_settime, man 2 timerfd_gettime.

Rust FFI via `libc`

use libc::{timerfd_create, timerfd_settime, timerfd_gettime};
use libc::{itimerspec, timespec};
use libc::{TFD_CLOEXEC, TFD_NONBLOCK, TFD_TIMER_ABSTIME};
use libc::{CLOCK_MONOTONIC, CLOCK_REALTIME};

Direct-syscall example

unsafe {
    let fd = libc::timerfd_create(
        libc::CLOCK_MONOTONIC,
        libc::TFD_CLOEXEC | libc::TFD_NONBLOCK,
    );
    if fd < 0 { return Err(io::Error::last_os_error()); }

    // one-shot: fire in 150ms, no interval
    let spec = libc::itimerspec {
        it_value:    libc::timespec { tv_sec: 0, tv_nsec: 150_000_000 },
        it_interval: libc::timespec { tv_sec: 0, tv_nsec: 0 },
    };
    // periodic: replace it_interval with the period, e.g. { tv_sec: 1, tv_nsec: 0 }

    if libc::timerfd_settime(fd, 0, &spec, std::ptr::null_mut()) < 0 {
        return Err(io::Error::last_os_error());
    }

    // register fd on the epoll loop; on EPOLLIN:
    let mut expirations: u64 = 0;
    libc::read(fd, &mut expirations as *mut _ as *mut _, 8);
    // expirations > 0 means the timer fired. Usually 1 for a oneshot,
    // could be >1 for a periodic timer whose consumer missed ticks.
}

Key flags

Flag	Meaning
`CLOCK_MONOTONIC`	Steady clock; immune to wall-clock jumps. Default choice for runtime timers.
`CLOCK_REALTIME`	Wall clock; jumps when NTP corrects or user sets time. Avoid unless you need calendar semantics.
`TFD_CLOEXEC`	Close on exec. Always set.
`TFD_NONBLOCK`	`read` doesn't block when expirations == 0. Required when on `epoll`.
`TFD_TIMER_ABSTIME`	Interpret `it_value` as absolute (not relative). Passed to `timerfd_settime`'s `flags`, not at create.

Gotchas

Reads are always 8 bytes. The value is an expiration count.
Disarming is timerfd_settime(fd, 0, &{0,0,0,0}, NULL) — a zero spec cancels pending fires.
Re-arming a periodic timer replaces the spec atomically; no "pause then resume" surface.
Resolution is nanosecond-granular but scheduling can slip. Don't use for sub-millisecond accuracy — use a busy loop or hardware timer for that.

Used by

02-event-loop-epoll.md — housekeeping timers. 07-inotify-content-watcher.md — 150 ms debounce window after an inotify burst. Future subscription phase — keepalive pings to long-lived connections.

v1 port source

reference/crates/wo-event/src/timerfd.rs (91 LOC) — TimerFd { oneshot(dur), periodic(dur), disarm, read_expirations }.

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03 — timerfd