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Mktemp

Unix command

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated May 10, 2026

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.

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

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This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Mktemp”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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