GETLOGIN(3)		   Linux Programmers Manual		  GETLOGIN(3)



NAME
       getlogin, getlogin_r, cuserid - get username

SYNOPSIS
       #include 

       char *getlogin(void);
       int getlogin_r(char *buf, size_t bufsize);

       #include 

       char *cuserid(char *string);

   Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see feature_test_macros(7)):

       getlogin_r(): _REENTRANT || _POSIX_C_SOURCE >= 199506L
       cuserid(): _XOPEN_SOURCE

DESCRIPTION
       getlogin()  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 username in the array buf of size buf
       size.

       cuserid() returns a pointer to a string containing a  username  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 username.  L_cuserid is declared in
       .

       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 VALUE
       getlogin() returns a pointer to the username 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 username, including the terminat
	      ing 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.

       ENOTTY Standard input didnt refer to a terminal.  (See BUGS.)

FILES
       /etc/passwd
	      password database file

       /var/run/utmp
	      (traditionally /etc/utmp; some libc versions used /var/adm/utmp)

CONFORMING TO
       getlogin() 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 specfication 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 ALSO
       geteuid(2), getuid(2), utmp(5)

COLOPHON
       This page is part of release 3.05 of the Linux  man-pages  project.   A
       description  of	the project, and information about reporting bugs, can
       be found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.



GNU				  2008-06-29			   GETLOGIN(3)