# [`silk_bytes(3)`](/silk/docs/man/silk_bytes.3/) — Manage Owned Build Output Buffers

> NOTE: This is the Markdown source for the eventual man 3 page for `SilkBytes` output buffers. The roff-formatted manpage should be generated from this content.

## Name

`silk_bytes` — manage owned `SilkBytes` buffers returned by `libsilk` build APIs.

## Synopsis

```c
#include <silk/silk.h>

typedef struct SilkBytes {
  uint8_t *ptr;
  int64_t  len;
} SilkBytes;

bool silk_compiler_build_to_bytes(SilkCompiler   *compiler,
                                  SilkOutputKind  kind,
                                  SilkBytes      *out_bytes);

void silk_bytes_free(SilkBytes *bytes);
```

## Description

`silk_compiler_build_to_bytes` returns an owned artifact buffer in `SilkBytes` (for example for sandboxed or filesystem-free embedding scenarios).

The buffer memory is owned by `libsilk.a` and must be released with `silk_bytes_free`.

## `silk_bytes_free`

`silk_bytes_free` frees a buffer returned by `silk_compiler_build_to_bytes`.

- It is safe to call this with `NULL`.
- It is safe to call this with a `SilkBytes` whose `ptr` is `NULL`.
- After freeing, the buffer contents must not be accessed.

## See Also

- [`silk_compiler(3)`](/silk/docs/man/silk_compiler.3/)
- [`libsilk(7)`](/silk/docs/man/libsilk.7/)
- [abi libsilk](/silk/docs/compiler/abi-libsilk/)