# mkfifo

_Peios / Using Peios / Peiosutils / Files and directories_

> Create named pipes (FIFOs).

`mkfifo` creates **named pipes**, also called FIFOs.

```
mkfifo [options] name...
```

```
$ mkfifo events
```

A named pipe is a file that two programs use to pass a stream of data: one writes into it, the other reads from it, and the data flows through in order — first in, first out, which is what "FIFO" stands for. Unlike an ordinary pipe between two commands, a named pipe has a name on the file system, so the two programs do not have to be started together or be related to each other.

## Setting the new pipe's security

A FIFO is a file, and a new file needs a [security descriptor](/peios/security-fundamentals/security-descriptors/overview.md). By default a new FIFO inherits its descriptor from the directory it is created in.

`mkfifo` accepts the shared **creation flags** — `--owner`, `--group`, `--label`, `--no-inherit`, and `--sddl` — to set that descriptor explicitly instead. They behave exactly as they do for `mkdir`; the full reference is on the [`mkdir`](/peios/using-peios/peiosutils/files-and-directories/mkdir.md) page.

## Exit status

| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `0` | Every FIFO was created. |
| `1` | A FIFO could not be created — for example, the name already exists. |

Related content:

- [mknod](/peios/using-peios/peiosutils/files-and-directories/mknod.md)
- [mkdir](/peios/using-peios/peiosutils/files-and-directories/mkdir.md)
- [Files and directories](/peios/using-peios/peiosutils/files-and-directories/overview.md)