GETLOGIN(3) Linux Programmer's Manual GETLOGIN(3)NAME
getlogin, getlogin_r, cuserid - get user name
SYNOPSIS
#include <unistd.h>
char *getlogin(void);
int getlogin_r(char *buf, size_t bufsize);
#include <stdio.h>
char *cuserid(char *string);
DESCRIPTIONgetlogin() returns a pointer to a string containing the name of the
user logged in on the controlling terminal of the process, or a null
pointer if this information cannot be determined. The string is stati‐
cally allocated and might be overwritten on subsequent calls to this
function or to cuserid().
getlogin_r() returns this same user name in the array buf of size buf‐
size.
cuserid() returns a pointer to a string containing a user name associ‐
ated with the effective user ID of the process. If string is not a
null pointer, it should be an array that can hold at least L_cuserid
characters; the string is returned in this array. Otherwise, a pointer
to a string in a static area is returned. This string is statically
allocated and might be overwritten on subsequent calls to this function
or to getlogin().
The macro L_cuserid is an integer constant that indicates how long an
array you might need to store a user name. L_cuserid is declared in
stdio.h.
These functions let your program identify positively the user who is
running (cuserid()) or the user who logged in this session (getlo‐
gin()). (These can differ when set-user-ID programs are involved.)
For most purposes, it is more useful to use the environment variable
LOGNAME to find out who the user is. This is more flexible precisely
because the user can set LOGNAME arbitrarily.
RETURN VALUEgetlogin() returns a pointer to the user name when successful, and NULL
on failure. getlogin_r() returns 0 when successful, and non-zero on
failure.
ERRORS
POSIX specifies
EMFILE The calling process already has the maximum allowed number of
open files.
ENFILE The system already has the maximum allowed number of open files.
ENXIO The calling process has no controlling tty.
ERANGE (getlogin_r) The length of the user name, including the termi‐
nating null byte, is larger than bufsize.
Linux/glibc also has
ENOENT There was no corresponding entry in the utmp-file.
ENOMEM Insufficient memory to allocate passwd structure.
FILES
/etc/passwd password database file
/var/run/utmp (traditionally /etc/utmp;
some libc versions used /var/adm/utmp)
CONFORMING TOgetlogin() and getlogin_r() specified in POSIX.1-2001.
System V has a cuserid() function which uses the real user ID rather
than the effective user ID. The cuserid() function was included in the
1988 version of POSIX, but removed from the 1990 version. It was
present in SUSv2, but removed in POSIX.1-2001.
OpenBSD has getlogin() and setlogin(), and a username associated with a
session, even if it has no controlling tty.
BUGS
Unfortunately, it is often rather easy to fool getlogin(). Sometimes
it does not work at all, because some program messed up the utmp file.
Often, it gives only the first 8 characters of the login name. The user
currently logged in on the controlling tty of our program need not be
the user who started it. Avoid getlogin() for security-related pur‐
poses.
Note that glibc does not follow the POSIX spec and uses stdin instead
of /dev/tty. A bug. (Other recent systems, like SunOS 5.8 and HP-UX
11.11 and FreeBSD 4.8 all return the login name also when stdin is
redirected.)
Nobody knows precisely what cuserid() does; avoid it in portable pro‐
grams. Or avoid it altogether: use getpwuid(geteuid()) instead, if
that is what you meant. DO NOT USE cuserid().
SEE ALSOgeteuid(2), getuid(2)Linux 2.4 2003-08-24 GETLOGIN(3)
