Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Command Linux
    • About
    • How to
      • Q&A
    • OS
      • Windows
      • Arch Linux
    • AI
    • Gaming
      • Easter Eggs
    • Statistics
    • Blog
      • Featured
    • MORE
      • IP Address
      • Man Pages
    • Write For Us
    • Contact
    Command Linux
    Home - man page - LIBTOOL

    LIBTOOL

    WillieBy WillieJanuary 30, 2026Updated:April 16, 2026No Comments6 Mins Read

    NAME

    libtool – Provide generalized library-building support services  

    SYNOPSIS

    libtool [,OPTION/]… [,MODE-ARG/]…
    libtool [,OPTION/]… ,–mode=compile COMPILE-COMMAND/… ,SOURCEFILE/
    libtool [,OPTION/]… ,–mode=link LINK-COMMAND/…
    libtool [,OPTION/]… ,–mode=execute COMMAND /[,ARGS/]…
    libtool [,OPTION/]… ,–mode=install INSTALL-COMMAND/…
    libtool [,OPTION/]… ,–mode=finish /[,LIBDIR/]…
    libtool [,OPTION/]… ,–mode=uninstall RM /[,RM-OPTION/]… ,FILE/…
    libtool [,OPTION/]… ,–mode=clean RM /[,RM-OPTION/]… ,FILE/…  

    DESCRIPTION

    Provide generalized library-building support services.
    –config
    show all configuration variables
    –debug
    enable verbose shell tracing
    -n, –dry-run
    display commands without modifying any files
    –features
    display basic configuration information and exit
    –mode=,MODE/
    use operation mode MODE
    –preserve-dup-deps
    don’t remove duplicate dependency libraries
    –quiet, –silent
    don’t print informational messages
    –no-quiet, –no-silent
    print informational messages (default)
    –no-warn
    don’t display warning messages
    –tag=,TAG/
    use configuration variables from tag TAG
    -v, –verbose
    print more informational messages than default
    –no-verbose
    don’t print the extra informational messages
    –version
    print version information
    -h, –help, –help-all
    print short, long, or detailed help message

    MODE must be one of the following:

    clean
    remove files from the build directory
    compile
    compile a source file into a libtool object
    execute
    automatically set library path, then run a program
    finish
    complete the installation of libtool libraries
    install
    install libraries or executables
    link
    create a library or an executable
    uninstall
    remove libraries from an installed directory

    MODE-ARGS vary depending on the MODE. When passed as first option, `–mode=MODE’ may be abbreviated as `MODE’ or a unique abbreviation of that.

    GNU libtool home page: <http://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/>. General help using GNU software: <http://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>.

    Description of compile mode:

    Compile a source file into a libtool library object.

    This mode accepts the following additional options:

    -o OUTPUT-FILE
    set the output file name to OUTPUT-FILE
    -no-suppress
    do not suppress compiler output for multiple passes
    -prefer-pic
    try to build PIC objects only
    -prefer-non-pic
    try to build non-PIC objects only
    -shared
    do not build a `.o’ file suitable for static linking
    -static
    only build a `.o’ file suitable for static linking
    -Wc,FLAG
    pass FLAG directly to the compiler

    COMPILE-COMMAND is a command to be used in creating a `standard’ object file from the given SOURCEFILE.

    The output file name is determined by removing the directory component from SOURCEFILE, then substituting the C source code suffix `.c’ with the library object suffix, `.lo’.

    Description of link mode:

    Link object files or libraries together to form another library, or to create an executable program.

    LINK-COMMAND is a command using the C compiler that you would use to create a program from several object files.

    The following components of LINK-COMMAND are treated specially:

    -all-static
    do not do any dynamic linking at all
    -avoid-version
    do not add a version suffix if possible
    -bindir BINDIR
    specify path to binaries directory (for systems where libraries must be found in the PATH setting at runtime)
    -dlopen FILE
    `-dlpreopen’ FILE if it cannot be dlopened at runtime
    -dlpreopen FILE
    link in FILE and add its symbols to lt_preloaded_symbols
    -export-dynamic
    allow symbols from OUTPUT-FILE to be resolved with dlsym(3)
    -export-symbols SYMFILE
    try to export only the symbols listed in SYMFILE
    -export-symbols-regex REGEX
    try to export only the symbols matching REGEX
    -LLIBDIR
    search LIBDIR for required installed libraries
    -lNAME
    OUTPUT-FILE requires the installed library libNAME
    -module
    build a library that can dlopened
    -no-fast-install
    disable the fast-install mode
    -no-install
    link a not-installable executable
    -no-undefined
    declare that a library does not refer to external symbols
    -o OUTPUT-FILE
    create OUTPUT-FILE from the specified objects
    -objectlist FILE
    Use a list of object files found in FILE to specify objects
    -precious-files-regex REGEX
    don’t remove output files matching REGEX
    -release RELEASE
    specify package release information
    -rpath LIBDIR
    the created library will eventually be installed in LIBDIR
    -R[ ]LIBDIR
    add LIBDIR to the runtime path of programs and libraries
    -shared
    only do dynamic linking of libtool libraries
    -shrext SUFFIX
    override the standard shared library file extension
    -static
    do not do any dynamic linking of uninstalled libtool libraries
    -static-libtool-libs
    do not do any dynamic linking of libtool libraries
    -version-info CURRENT[:REVISION[:AGE]]
    specify library version info [each variable defaults to 0]
    -weak LIBNAME
    declare that the target provides the LIBNAME interface
    -Wc,FLAG
    -Xcompiler FLAG
    pass linker-specific FLAG directly to the compiler
    -Wl,FLAG
    -Xlinker FLAG
    pass linker-specific FLAG directly to the linker
    -XCClinker FLAG
    pass link-specific FLAG to the compiler driver (CC)

    All other options (arguments beginning with `-‘) are ignored.

    Every other argument is treated as a filename. Files ending in `.la’ are treated as uninstalled libtool libraries, other files are standard or library object files.

    If the OUTPUT-FILE ends in `.la’, then a libtool library is created, only library objects (`.lo’ files) may be specified, and `-rpath’ is required, except when creating a convenience library.

    If OUTPUT-FILE ends in `.a’ or `.lib’, then a standard library is created using `ar’ and `ranlib’, or on Windows using `lib’.

    If OUTPUT-FILE ends in `.lo’ or `.o’, then a reloadable object file is created, otherwise an executable program is created.

    Description of execute mode:

    Automatically set library path, then run a program.

    This mode accepts the following additional options:

    -dlopen FILE
    add the directory containing FILE to the library path

    This mode sets the library path environment variable according to `-dlopen’ flags.

    If any of the ARGS are libtool executable wrappers, then they are translated into their corresponding uninstalled binary, and any of their required library directories are added to the library path.

    Then, COMMAND is executed, with ARGS as arguments.

    Description of install mode:

    Install executables or libraries.

    INSTALL-COMMAND is the installation command. The first component should be either the `install’ or `cp’ program.

    The following components of INSTALL-COMMAND are treated specially:

    -inst-prefix-dir PREFIX-DIR
    Use PREFIX-DIR as a staging area for installation

    The rest of the components are interpreted as arguments to that command (only BSD-compatible install options are recognized).

    Description of finish mode:

    Complete the installation of libtool libraries.

    Each LIBDIR is a directory that contains libtool libraries.

    The commands that this mode executes may require superuser privileges. Use the `–dry-run’ option if you just want to see what would be executed.

    Description of uninstall mode:

    Remove libraries from an installation directory.

    RM is the name of the program to use to delete files associated with each FILE (typically `/bin/rm’). RM-OPTIONS are options (such as `-f’) to be passed to RM.

    If FILE is a libtool library, all the files associated with it are deleted. Otherwise, only FILE itself is deleted using RM.

    Description of clean mode:

    Remove files from the build directory.

    RM is the name of the program to use to delete files associated with each FILE (typically `/bin/rm’). RM-OPTIONS are options (such as `-f’) to be passed to RM.

    If FILE is a libtool library, object or program, all the files associated with it are deleted. Otherwise, only FILE itself is deleted using RM.

    When reporting a bug, please describe a test case to reproduce it and include the following information:

    host-triplet:
    x86_64-pc-linux-gnu
    shell:
    ,/bin/bash/
    compiler:
    gcc
    compiler flags:
    -g -O2 -fstack-protector-strong -Wformat -Werror=,format-security/
    linker:
    ,/usr/bin/ld/ -m elf_x86_64 (gnu? yes)
    libtool:
    (GNU libtool) 2.4.2 Debian-2.4.2-1.11
    automake:
    automake (GNU automake) 1.14.1
    autoconf:
    autoconf (GNU Autoconf) 2.69
     

    Willie
    • Website

    Willie has over 15 years of experience in Linux system administration and DevOps. After managing infrastructure for startups and enterprises alike, he founded Command Linux to share the practical knowledge he wished he had when starting out. He oversees content strategy and contributes guides on server management, automation, and security.

    Related Posts

    NTFS-3G

    April 21, 2026

    CAT

    April 21, 2026

    RPCBIND

    April 21, 2026

    SYSCTL

    April 21, 2026
    Top Posts

    XFBURN

    April 8, 2026

    127.0.0.1:49342 Admin Login

    December 20, 2025

    SHMOP

    February 20, 2026

    IRB(1)

    March 22, 2026
    • Home
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.