What is the purpose of fork()?

Question

In many programs and man pages of Linux, I have seen code using fork(). Why do we need to use fork() and what is its purpose?

Answer 1

The fork() function is used to create a new process by duplicating the existing process from which it is called. The existing process from which this function is called becomes the parent process and the newly created process becomes the child process. As already stated that child is a duplicate copy of the parent but there are some exceptions to it.

• The child has a unique PID like any other process running in the operating system.

• The child has a parent process ID which is same as the PID of the
  process that created it.

• Resource utilization and CPU time counters are reset to zero in child process.

• Set of pending signals in child is empty.

• Child does not inherit any timers from its parent

Example :

    #include 
    #include 
    #include 
    #include 
    #include 
    #include 

    int var_glb; /* A global variable*/

int main(void)
{
    pid_t childPID;
    int var_lcl = 0;

    childPID = fork();

    if(childPID >= 0) // fork was successful
    {
        if(childPID == 0) // child process
        {
            var_lcl++;
            var_glb++;
            printf("\n Child Process :: var_lcl = [%d], var_glb[%d]\n", var_lcl, var_glb);
        }
        else //Parent process
        {
            var_lcl = 10;
            var_glb = 20;
            printf("\n Parent process :: var_lcl = [%d], var_glb[%d]\n", var_lcl, var_glb);
        }
    }
    else // fork failed
    {
        printf("\n Fork failed, quitting!!!!!!\n");
        return 1;
    }

    return 0;
}

Now, when the above code is compiled and run :

$ ./fork

Parent process :: var_lcl = [10], var_glb[20]

Child Process :: var_lcl = [1], var_glb[1]