gets(3)

NAME

   gets - get a string from standard input (DEPRECATED)

SYNOPSIS

   #include <stdio.h>

   char *gets(char *s);

DESCRIPTION

   Never use this function.

   gets()  reads  a  line from stdin into the buffer pointed to by s until
   either a terminating newline or EOF, which it replaces with a null byte
   ('\0').  No check for buffer overrun is performed (see BUGS below).

RETURN VALUE

   gets()  returns  s  on  success,  and NULL on error or when end of file
   occurs while no characters have been read.  However, given the lack  of
   buffer  overrun  checking, there can be no guarantees that the function
   will even return.

ATTRIBUTES

   For  an  explanation  of  the  terms  used   in   this   section,   see
   attributes(7).

   
   Interface  Attribute      Value   
   
   gets()     Thread safety  MT-Safe 
   

CONFORMING TO

   C89, C99, POSIX.1-2001.

   LSB deprecates gets().  POSIX.1-2008 marks gets() obsolescent.  ISO C11
   removes the specification of gets() from  the  C  language,  and  since
   version  2.16, glibc header files don't expose the function declaration
   if the _ISOC11_SOURCE feature test macro is defined.

BUGS

   Never use gets().  Because it is impossible to tell without knowing the
   data  in  advance  how  many  characters  gets() will read, and because
   gets() will continue to store characters past the end of the buffer, it
   is  extremely  dangerous  to  use.   It has been used to break computer
   security.  Use fgets() instead.

   For more information, see CWE-242 (aka  "Use  of  Inherently  Dangerous
   Function") at http://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/242.html

SEE ALSO

   read(2), write(2), ferror(3), fgetc(3), fgets(3), fgetwc(3), fgetws(3),
   fopen(3),  fread(3),  fseek(3),   getline(3),   getwchar(3),   puts(3),
   scanf(3), ungetwc(3), unlocked_stdio(3), feature_test_macros(7)

COLOPHON

   This  page  is  part of release 4.09 of the Linux man-pages project.  A
   description of the project, information about reporting bugs,  and  the
   latest     version     of     this    page,    can    be    found    at
   https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.

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