5.1.2.2.3 Program termination

1

If the return type of the main function is a type compatible with int, a return from the initial call to the main function is equivalent to calling the exit function with the value returned by the main function as its argument;[1] reaching the } that terminates the main function returns a value of 0. If the return type is not compatible with int, the termination status returned to the host environment is unspecified.

Forward References

7.1.1 Definitions of terms

7.20.4.3 The exit function

Footnotes

[1]

In accordance with 6.2.4, the lifetimes of objects with automatic storage duration declared in main will have ended in the former case, even where they would not have in the latter.