mktemp

{{Short description|Unix command}}

{{lowercase|title=mktemp}}

{{Infobox software

| name = mktemp

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| author =

| developer = Todd Miller, Jim Meyering

| released = {{Start date and age|1997}}

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| operating system = Unix and Unix-like

| programming language = C

| platform = Cross-platform

| genre = Command

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mktemp is a command available in many Unix-like operating systems that creates a temporary file or directory.{{cite web|title=mktemp|url=http://refspecs.linuxbase.org/LSB_3.1.0/LSB-Core-generic/LSB-Core-generic/mktemp.html|website=Linux Standard Base Core Specification 3.1|publisher=Free Standards Group|access-date=7 November 2015}} Originally released in 1997 as part of OpenBSD 2.1,{{cite web|last1=Miller|first1=Todd C.|access-date=7 November 2015|title=mktemp manual page|url=https://www.mktemp.org/manual.html#6}} a separate implementation exists as a part of GNU Coreutils.{{cite mailing list |url=https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-coreutils/2007-10/msg00051.html |title=announce: new program: mktemp |date=7 October 2007 |accessdate=7 November 2015 |last=Meyering |first=Jim}}

There used to be a similar named C library function, which is now deprecated for being unsafe, and has safer alternatives.{{cite web|title=Temporary Files|url=https://www.gnu.org/software/libc/manual/html_node/Temporary-Files.html|website=GNU|publisher=GNU|access-date=2 September 2019}}