Man Page Sections

Linux man pages are divided into sections by type. Each section covers a different category of documentation.

• Section 1
  User Commands Executable programs and shell commands available to all users. 32987 pages
• Section 2
  System Calls System calls provided by the Linux kernel. 1283 pages
• Section 3
  Library Functions Library functions, including standard C library functions. 32804 pages
• Section 4
  Special Files Device files and special files found in /dev. 102 pages
• Section 5
  File Formats & Conventions File formats, configuration files, and conventions. 2357 pages
• Section 6
  Games & Screensavers Games, screensavers, and other entertaining programs. 1041 pages
• Section 7
  Miscellaneous Miscellaneous documentation including standards and conventions. 1557 pages
• Section 8
  System Administration Commands for system administration, typically requiring root. 5815 pages
• Section 9
  Kernel Routines Kernel routines and internal interfaces. 189 pages