GETPASS(3) BSD Library Functions Manual GETPASS(3)NAME
getpass — get a password
LIBRARY
Standard C Library (libc, -lc)
SYNOPSIS
#include <pwd.h>
#include <unistd.h>
char *
getpass(const char *prompt);
DESCRIPTION
The getpass() function displays a prompt to, and reads in a password
from, /dev/tty. If this file is not accessible, getpass() displays the
prompt on the standard error output and reads from the standard input.
The password may be up to _PASSWORD_LEN (currently 128) characters in
length. Any additional characters and the terminating newline character
are discarded.
getpass() turns off character echoing while reading the password.
RETURN VALUESgetpass() returns a pointer to the null terminated password.
FILES
/dev/tty
SEE ALSOcrypt(3)STANDARDS
The getpass() function appeared in Version 2 of the Single UNIX
Specification (“SUSv2”), but it was already marked as legacy. The func‐
tion was removed in the IEEE Std 1003.1-2001 (“POSIX.1”) standard.
HISTORY
A getpass() function appeared in Version 7 AT&T UNIX.
BUGS
The getpass() function leaves its result in an internal static object and
returns a pointer to that object. Subsequent calls to getpass() will
modify the same object.
SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
The calling process should zero the password as soon as possible to avoid
leaving the cleartext password visible in the process's address space.
BSD May 6, 2010 BSD