strip(1)

NAME

   strip - Discard symbols from object files.

SYNOPSIS

   strip [-F bfdname |--target=bfdname]
         [-I bfdname |--input-target=bfdname]
         [-O bfdname |--output-target=bfdname]
         [-s|--strip-all]
         [-S|-g|-d|--strip-debug]
         [--strip-dwo]
         [-K symbolname |--keep-symbol=symbolname]
         [-N symbolname |--strip-symbol=symbolname]
         [-w|--wildcard]
         [-x|--discard-all] [-X |--discard-locals]
         [-R sectionname |--remove-section=sectionname]
         [--remove-relocations=sectionpattern]
         [-o file] [-p|--preserve-dates]
         [-D|--enable-deterministic-archives]
         [-U|--disable-deterministic-archives]
         [--keep-file-symbols]
         [--only-keep-debug]
         [-v |--verbose] [-V|--version]
         [--help] [--info]
         objfile...

DESCRIPTION

   GNU strip discards all symbols from object files objfile.  The list of
   object files may include archives.  At least one object file must be
   given.

   strip modifies the files named in its argument, rather than writing
   modified copies under different names.

OPTIONS

   -F bfdname
   --target=bfdname
       Treat the original objfile as a file with the object code format
       bfdname, and rewrite it in the same format.

   --help
       Show a summary of the options to strip and exit.

   --info
       Display a list showing all architectures and object formats
       available.

   -I bfdname
   --input-target=bfdname
       Treat the original objfile as a file with the object code format
       bfdname.

   -O bfdname
   --output-target=bfdname
       Replace objfile with a file in the output format bfdname.

   -R sectionname
   --remove-section=sectionname
       Remove any section named sectionname from the output file, in
       addition to whatever sections would otherwise be removed.  This
       option may be given more than once.  Note that using this option
       inappropriately may make the output file unusable.  The wildcard
       character * may be given at the end of sectionname.  If so, then
       any section starting with sectionname will be removed.

       If the first character of sectionpattern is the exclamation point
       (!) then matching sections will not be removed even if an earlier
       use of --remove-section on the same command line would otherwise
       remove it.  For example:

                 --remove-section=.text.* --remove-section=!.text.foo

       will remove all sections matching the pattern '.text.*', but will
       not remove the section '.text.foo'.

   --remove-relocations=sectionpattern
       Remove relocations from the output file for any section matching
       sectionpattern.  This option may be given more than once.  Note
       that using this option inappropriately may make the output file
       unusable.  Wildcard characters are accepted in sectionpattern.  For
       example:

                 --remove-relocations=.text.*

       will remove the relocations for all sections matching the patter
       '.text.*'.

       If the first character of sectionpattern is the exclamation point
       (!) then matching sections will not have their relocation removed
       even if an earlier use of --remove-relocations on the same command
       line would otherwise cause the relocations to be removed.  For
       example:

                 --remove-relocations=.text.* --remove-relocations=!.text.foo

       will remove all relocations for sections matching the pattern
       '.text.*', but will not remove relocations for the section
       '.text.foo'.

   -s
   --strip-all
       Remove all symbols.

   -g
   -S
   -d
   --strip-debug
       Remove debugging symbols only.

   --strip-dwo
       Remove the contents of all DWARF .dwo sections, leaving the
       remaining debugging sections and all symbols intact.  See the
       description of this option in the objcopy section for more
       information.

   --strip-unneeded
       Remove all symbols that are not needed for relocation processing.

   -K symbolname
   --keep-symbol=symbolname
       When stripping symbols, keep symbol symbolname even if it would
       normally be stripped.  This option may be given more than once.

   -N symbolname
   --strip-symbol=symbolname
       Remove symbol symbolname from the source file. This option may be
       given more than once, and may be combined with strip options other
       than -K.

   -o file
       Put the stripped output in file, rather than replacing the existing
       file.  When this argument is used, only one objfile argument may be
       specified.

   -p
   --preserve-dates
       Preserve the access and modification dates of the file.

   -D
   --enable-deterministic-archives
       Operate in deterministic mode.  When copying archive members and
       writing the archive index, use zero for UIDs, GIDs, timestamps, and
       use consistent file modes for all files.

       If binutils was configured with --enable-deterministic-archives,
       then this mode is on by default.  It can be disabled with the -U
       option, below.

   -U
   --disable-deterministic-archives
       Do not operate in deterministic mode.  This is the inverse of the
       -D option, above: when copying archive members and writing the
       archive index, use their actual UID, GID, timestamp, and file mode
       values.

       This is the default unless binutils was configured with
       --enable-deterministic-archives.

   -w
   --wildcard
       Permit regular expressions in symbolnames used in other command
       line options.  The question mark (?), asterisk (*), backslash (\)
       and square brackets ([]) operators can be used anywhere in the
       symbol name.  If the first character of the symbol name is the
       exclamation point (!) then the sense of the switch is reversed for
       that symbol.  For example:

                 -w -K !foo -K fo*

       would cause strip to only keep symbols that start with the letters
       "fo", but to discard the symbol "foo".

   -x
   --discard-all
       Remove non-global symbols.

   -X
   --discard-locals
       Remove compiler-generated local symbols.  (These usually start with
       L or ..)

   --keep-file-symbols
       When stripping a file, perhaps with --strip-debug or
       --strip-unneeded, retain any symbols specifying source file names,
       which would otherwise get stripped.

   --only-keep-debug
       Strip a file, emptying the contents of any sections that would not
       be stripped by --strip-debug and leaving the debugging sections
       intact.  In ELF files, this preserves all the note sections in the
       output as well.

       Note - the section headers of the stripped sections are preserved,
       including their sizes, but the contents of the section are
       discarded.  The section headers are preserved so that other tools
       can match up the debuginfo file with the real executable, even if
       that executable has been relocated to a different address space.

       The intention is that this option will be used in conjunction with
       --add-gnu-debuglink to create a two part executable.  One a
       stripped binary which will occupy less space in RAM and in a
       distribution and the second a debugging information file which is
       only needed if debugging abilities are required.  The suggested
       procedure to create these files is as follows:

       1.<Link the executable as normal.  Assuming that is is called>
           "foo" then...

       1.<Run "objcopy --only-keep-debug foo foo.dbg" to>
           create a file containing the debugging info.

       1.<Run "objcopy --strip-debug foo" to create a>
           stripped executable.

       1.<Run "objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.dbg foo">
           to add a link to the debugging info into the stripped
           executable.

       Note---the choice of ".dbg" as an extension for the debug info file
       is arbitrary.  Also the "--only-keep-debug" step is optional.  You
       could instead do this:

       1.<Link the executable as normal.>
       1.<Copy "foo" to "foo.full">
       1.<Run "strip --strip-debug foo">
       1.<Run "objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.full foo">

       i.e., the file pointed to by the --add-gnu-debuglink can be the
       full executable.  It does not have to be a file created by the
       --only-keep-debug switch.

       Note---this switch is only intended for use on fully linked files.
       It does not make sense to use it on object files where the
       debugging information may be incomplete.  Besides the gnu_debuglink
       feature currently only supports the presence of one filename
       containing debugging information, not multiple filenames on a one-
       per-object-file basis.

   -V
   --version
       Show the version number for strip.

   -v
   --verbose
       Verbose output: list all object files modified.  In the case of
       archives, strip -v lists all members of the archive.

   @file
       Read command-line options from file.  The options read are inserted
       in place of the original @file option.  If file does not exist, or
       cannot be read, then the option will be treated literally, and not
       removed.

       Options in file are separated by whitespace.  A whitespace
       character may be included in an option by surrounding the entire
       option in either single or double quotes.  Any character (including
       a backslash) may be included by prefixing the character to be
       included with a backslash.  The file may itself contain additional
       @file options; any such options will be processed recursively.

SEE ALSO

   the Info entries for binutils.

COPYRIGHT

   Copyright (c) 1991-2016 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

   Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
   under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
   any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
   Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover
   Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU
   Free Documentation License".

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