GETPASS
Section: Linux Programmer's Manual (3)
Updated: 29 November 1993
NAME
getpass - get a password
SYNOPSIS
#include <pwd.h>
char *getpass( const char * prompt );
DESCRIPTION
The
getpass
function displays a prompt to the standard error output, and reads in a
password from
/dev/tty.
If this file is not accessible,
getpass
reads from the standard input.
The password may be up to 128 characters in length, including a trailing
NUL. Any additional characters and the terminating newline character
are discarded.
Getpass
turns off character echoing and disables the generation of signals by
tty special characters (interrupt by control-C, suspend by control-Z,
etc.) while reading the password.
RETURN VALUES
Getpass
returns a pointer to the null terminated password.
FILES
/dev/tty
SEE ALSO
crypt(3)
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.
The calling process should zero the password as soon as possible to avoid
leaving the cleartext password visible in the process's address space.