getpass(3C)                                           getpass(3C)



NAME
     getpass - read a password

SYNOPSIS
     char *getpass(prompt)
     char *prompt;

DESCRIPTION
     getpass reads up to a newline or EOF from the file /dev/tty,
     after prompting on the standard error output with the null-
     terminated string prompt and disabling echo.  A pointer is
     returned to a null-terminated string of at most 8
     characters.  If /dev/tty cannot be opened, a null pointer is
     returned.  An interrupt terminates input and sends an
     interrupt signal to the calling program before returning.

WARNINGS
     The above routine uses <stdio.h>. This causes the size of
     programs not otherwise using standard I/O to increase more
     than might be expected.

LIMITATIONS
     The return value points to static data whose content is
     overwritten by each call.

FILES
     /dev/tty
SEE ALSO
     crypt(3C)


























January 1992                                                    1