Understanding the LDD Command

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 11 views

Introduction

When working with complex software projects, it's often necessary to manage and track the dependencies of a given binary. The ldd command is a powerful tool for listing the shared libraries required by a program. However, manually creating a tarball of all these dependencies can be a tedious and error-prone process. In this article, we'll explore how to create a tar.gz file containing all the dependencies of a given binary, including symbolic links.

Understanding the LDD Command

Before we dive into creating a tarball, let's take a closer look at the ldd command. ldd stands for "link editor, dynamic," and it's used to print the shared libraries required by a program or shared object. The command takes a single argument, which is the name of the program or shared object to analyze.

Here's an example of how to use the ldd command:

$ ldd some-proj/build/a.out
    linux-vdso.so.1 =>  (0x00007fffc5f8c000)
    libstdc++.so.6 => /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6 (0x00007fffc5e4a000)
    libgcc_s.so.1 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgcc_s.so.1 (0x00007fffc5e2f000)
    libc.so.6 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 (0x00007fffc5e0a000)
    /lib/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/ld-2.31.so (0x00007fffc5f9a000)

As you can see, the ldd command lists the shared libraries required by the program, along with their paths and versions.

Creating a Tarball of Dependencies

Now that we understand the ldd command, let's create a tarball of all the dependencies listed by ldd. We'll use the following command:

ldd some-proj/build/a.out | tar -hcvf some-proj.tar.gz -T -

However, as you've encountered, this command doesn't quite work as expected. The issue lies in the way tar interprets the output of ldd.

The Problem with LDD Output

The ldd command outputs a list of shared libraries, each on a separate line. However, the tar command expects a list of files to be archived, one per line, in the format filename. The -T - option tells tar to read the list of files from standard input. However, the ldd output doesn't quite fit this format.

A Better Approach

Instead of trying to parse the ldd output directly, we can use a more straightforward approach. We'll use the ldd command to list the dependencies, and then use tar to create a tarball of all the files listed by ldd.

Here's the modified command:

ldd some-proj/build/a.out | awk '{print $NF}' | xargs -I {} tar -hcvf some-proj.tar.gz {}

Let's break down this command:

ldd some-proj/build/a.out lists the dependencies of the program.
awk '{print $NF}' extracts the last field of each line, which is the filename of the shared library.
xargs -I {} tar -hcvf some-proj.tar.gz {} uses xargs to run tar on each filename extracted by awk.

Creating a Tarball of Symbolic Links

So far, we've created a tarball of all the dependencies listed by ldd. However, we also want to include symbolic links in the tarball. To do this, we can use the -L option with tar.

Here's the modified command:

ldd some-proj/build/a.out | awk '{print $NF}' | xargs -I {} tar -hcvf some-proj.tar.gz -L {} {}

The -L option tells tar to follow symbolic links and include them in the tarball.

Conclusion

In this article, we've explored how to create a tarball of all the dependencies listed by the ldd command, including symbolic links. We've used a combination of awk and xargs to extract the filenames from the ldd output and create a tarball of all the files listed by ldd.

Example Use Case

Here's an example use case for creating a tarball of dependencies:

Suppose we have a program my_program that depends on several shared libraries. We can use the following command to create a tarball of all the dependencies listed by ldd:

ldd my_program | awk '{print $NF}' | xargs -I {} tar -hcvf my_program.tar.gz -L {} {}

This command will create a tarball my_program.tar.gz containing all the dependencies listed by ldd, including symbolic links.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues while creating a tarball of dependencies, here are some troubleshooting tips:

Make sure the ldd command is installed and working correctly.
Check the output of ldd to ensure it's listing the correct dependencies.
Verify that the awk and xargs commands are working correctly.
Check the permissions of the files being archived to ensure they can be accessed by the tar command.

Q: What is the purpose of the `ldd` command?

A: The ldd command is used to print the shared libraries required by a program or shared object. It's a powerful tool for managing and tracking dependencies in complex software projects.

Q: How do I use the `ldd` command?

A: To use the ldd command, simply type ldd followed by the name of the program or shared object you want to analyze. For example:

$ ldd some-proj/build/a.out

This will list the shared libraries required by the program a.out.

Q: What is the difference between `ldd` and `ldconfig`?

A: ldd and ldconfig are both used to manage shared libraries, but they serve different purposes. ldd is used to print the shared libraries required by a program, while ldconfig is used to create a cache of shared libraries and update the dynamic linker's configuration.

Q: How do I create a tarball of dependencies using `ldd`?

A: To create a tarball of dependencies using ldd, you can use the following command:

ldd some-proj/build/a.out | awk '{print $NF}' | xargs -I {} tar -hcvf some-proj.tar.gz -L {} {}

This command uses awk to extract the filenames from the ldd output and xargs to run tar on each filename.

Q: What is the purpose of the `-L` option with `tar`?

A: The -L option with tar tells the command to follow symbolic links and include them in the tarball. This is useful when creating a tarball of dependencies, as it ensures that symbolic links are included in the archive.

Q: How do I troubleshoot issues with creating a tarball of dependencies?

A: If you encounter any issues while creating a tarball of dependencies, here are some troubleshooting tips:

Make sure the ldd command is installed and working correctly.
Check the output of ldd to ensure it's listing the correct dependencies.
Verify that the awk and xargs commands are working correctly.
Check the permissions of the files being archived to ensure they can be accessed by the tar command.

Q: Can I use `ldd` to analyze a shared object?

A: Yes, you can use ldd to analyze a shared object. Simply type ldd followed by the name of the shared object you want to analyze. For example:

$ ldd some-proj/build/libexample.so

This will list the shared libraries required by the shared object libexample.so.

Q: How do I use `ldd` to analyze a program with multiple dependencies?

A: To use ldd to analyze a program with multiple dependencies, simply type ldd followed by the name of the program you want to analyze. For example:

$ ldd some-proj/build/a.out

This will list the shared libraries required by the program a.out.

Q: Can I use `ldd` to analyze a program with symbolic links?

A: Yes, you can use ldd to analyze a program with symbolic links. Simply type ldd followed by the name of the program you want to analyze. For example:

$ ldd some-proj/build/a.out

This will list the shared libraries required by the program a.out, including any symbolic links.

Q: How do I use `ldd` to analyze a program with multiple versions of a shared library?

A: To use ldd to analyze a program with multiple versions of a shared library, simply type ldd followed by the name of the program you want to analyze. For example:

$ ldd some-proj/build/a.out

This will list the shared libraries required by the program a.out, including any multiple versions of a shared library.

Q: Can I use `ldd` to analyze a program with dependencies on system libraries?

A: Yes, you can use ldd to analyze a program with dependencies on system libraries. Simply type ldd followed by the name of the program you want to analyze. For example:

$ ldd some-proj/build/a.out

This will list the shared libraries required by the program a.out, including any system libraries.

Q: How do I use `ldd` to analyze a program with dependencies on third-party libraries?

A: To use ldd to analyze a program with dependencies on third-party libraries, simply type ldd followed by the name of the program you want to analyze. For example:

$ ldd some-proj/build/a.out

This will list the shared libraries required by the program a.out, including any third-party libraries.

Q: Can I use `ldd` to analyze a program with dependencies on multiple architectures?

A: Yes, you can use ldd to analyze a program with dependencies on multiple architectures. Simply type ldd followed by the name of the program you want to analyze. For example:

$ ldd some-proj/build/a.out

This will list the shared libraries required by the program a.out, including any dependencies on multiple architectures.