# vkGetPipelineCacheData(3) Manual Page

## Name

vkGetPipelineCacheData - Get the data store from a pipeline cache

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## C Specification

Data can be retrieved from a pipeline cache object using the command:

    // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_0
    VkResult vkGetPipelineCacheData(
        VkDevice                                    device,
        VkPipelineCache                             pipelineCache,
        size_t*                                     pDataSize,
        void*                                       pData);

## Parameters

- `device` is the logical device that owns the pipeline cache.

- `pipelineCache` is the pipeline cache to retrieve data from.

- `pDataSize` is a pointer to a `size_t` value related to the amount of data in the pipeline cache, as described below.

- `pData` is either `NULL` or a pointer to a buffer.

## Description

If `pData` is `NULL`, then the maximum size of the data that can be retrieved from the pipeline cache, in bytes, is returned in `pDataSize`. Otherwise, `pDataSize` must point to a variable set by the application to the size of the buffer, in bytes, pointed to by `pData`, and on return the variable is overwritten with the amount of data actually written to `pData`. If `pDataSize` is less than the maximum size that can be retrieved by the pipeline cache, at most `pDataSize` bytes will be written to `pData`, and `VK_INCOMPLETE` will be returned instead of `VK_SUCCESS`, to indicate that not all of the pipeline cache was returned.

Any data written to `pData` is valid and can be provided as the `pInitialData` member of the VkPipelineCacheCreateInfo structure passed to `vkCreatePipelineCache`.

Two calls to `vkGetPipelineCacheData` with the same parameters must retrieve the same data unless a command that modifies the contents of the cache is called between them.

The initial bytes written to `pData` must be a header as described in the Pipeline Cache Header section.

If `pDataSize` is less than what is necessary to store this header, nothing will be written to `pData` and zero will be written to `pDataSize`.

Note | This query does not behave consistently with the behavior described in Opaque Binary Data Results, for historical reasons. If the amount of data available is larger than the passed `pDataSize`, the query returns up to the size of the passed buffer, and signals overflow with a `VK_INCOMPLETE` success status instead of returning a `VK_ERROR_NOT_ENOUGH_SPACE_KHR` error status.

Valid Usage (Implicit)

- VUID-vkGetPipelineCacheData-device-parameter
  `device` must be a valid VkDevice handle

- VUID-vkGetPipelineCacheData-pipelineCache-parameter
  `pipelineCache` must be a valid VkPipelineCache handle

- VUID-vkGetPipelineCacheData-pDataSize-parameter
  `pDataSize` must be a valid pointer to a `size_t` value

- VUID-vkGetPipelineCacheData-pData-parameter
  If the value referenced by `pDataSize` is not `0`, and `pData` is not `NULL`, `pData` must be a valid pointer to an array of `pDataSize` bytes

- VUID-vkGetPipelineCacheData-pipelineCache-parent
  `pipelineCache` must have been created, allocated, or retrieved from `device`

Return Codes

On success, this command returns

  - `VK_SUCCESS`

  - `VK_INCOMPLETE`

On failure, this command returns

  - `VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_HOST_MEMORY`

  - `VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_DEVICE_MEMORY`

## See Also

VK_VERSION_1_0, VkDevice, VkPipelineCache

## Document Notes

For more information, see the Vulkan Specification

This page is extracted from the Vulkan Specification. Fixes and changes should be made to the Specification, not directly.

## Copyright

Copyright 2014-2025 The Khronos Group Inc.

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0