Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised May 30, 2026

Mktemp

mktemp is a command available in many Unix-like operating systems that creates a temporary file or directory. Originally released in 1997 as part of OpenBSD 2.1, a separate implementation exists as a part of GNU Coreutils.

Last revised
May 30, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
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126 w
Citations
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Source
Wikipedia ↗
mktemp
DevelopersTodd Miller, Jim Meyering
Initial release1997 (1997)
Written inC
Operating systemUnix and Unix-like
PlatformCross-platform
TypeCommand

mktemp is a command available in many Unix-like operating systems that creates a temporary file or directory.1 Originally released in 1997 as part of OpenBSD 2.1,2 a separate implementation exists as a part of GNU Coreutils.3

There used to be a similar named C library function, which is now deprecated for being unsafe, and has safer alternatives.4

See also

See also

References

References

  1. "mktemp". Linux Standard Base Core Specification 3.1. Free Standards Group. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  2. Miller, Todd C. "mktemp manual page". Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  3. Meyering, Jim (7 October 2007). "announce: new program: mktemp" (Mailing list). Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  4. "Temporary Files". GNU. GNU. Retrieved 2 September 2019.