Why can C main function be coded with or without parameters?

Question

Just wondering why this

int main(void){}

compiles and links

and so does this:

int main(int argc, char **argv){}
         


        

Answer 1

The short answer: if you don't use the parameters, then you can declare main without parameters, in two ways:

int main(void)

or

int main()

The first means main is a function with no parameters. The second means main is a function with any number of parameters.

Since you don't access the parameters, both will be fine. Any compiler having "special" code to check the parameters of main is wrong. (But: main must return a value.)