Updated: 2022/Sep/29

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RAND_bytes(3)                       OpenSSL                      RAND_bytes(3)



NAME
       RAND_bytes, RAND_priv_bytes, RAND_bytes_ex, RAND_priv_bytes_ex,
       RAND_pseudo_bytes - generate random data

LIBRARY
       libcrypto, -lcrypto

SYNOPSIS
        #include <openssl/rand.h>

        int RAND_bytes(unsigned char *buf, int num);
        int RAND_priv_bytes(unsigned char *buf, int num);

        int RAND_bytes_ex(OSSL_LIB_CTX *ctx, unsigned char *buf, size_t num,
                          unsigned int strength);
        int RAND_priv_bytes_ex(OSSL_LIB_CTX *ctx, unsigned char *buf, size_t num,
                               unsigned int strength);

       The following function has been deprecated since OpenSSL 1.1.0, and can
       be hidden entirely by defining OPENSSL_API_COMPAT with a suitable
       version value, see openssl_user_macros(7):

        int RAND_pseudo_bytes(unsigned char *buf, int num);

DESCRIPTION
       RAND_bytes() generates num random bytes using a cryptographically
       secure pseudo random generator (CSPRNG) and stores them in buf.

       RAND_priv_bytes() has the same semantics as RAND_bytes().  It is
       intended to be used for generating values that should remain private.
       If using the default RAND_METHOD, this function uses a separate
       "private" PRNG instance so that a compromise of the "public" PRNG
       instance will not affect the secrecy of these private values, as
       described in RAND(7) and EVP_RAND(7).

       RAND_bytes_ex() and RAND_priv_bytes_ex() are the same as RAND_bytes()
       and RAND_priv_bytes() except that they both take additional strength
       and ctx parameters. The bytes generated will have a security strength
       of at least strength bits.  The DRBG used for the operation is the
       public or private DRBG associated with the specified ctx. The parameter
       can be NULL, in which case the default library context is used (see
       OSSL_LIB_CTX(3).  If the default RAND_METHOD has been changed then for
       compatibility reasons the RAND_METHOD will be used in preference and
       the DRBG of the library context ignored.

NOTES
       By default, the OpenSSL CSPRNG supports a security level of 256 bits,
       provided it was able to seed itself from a trusted entropy source.  On
       all major platforms supported by OpenSSL (including the Unix-like
       platforms and Windows), OpenSSL is configured to automatically seed the
       CSPRNG on first use using the operating systems's random generator.

       If the entropy source fails or is not available, the CSPRNG will enter
       an error state and refuse to generate random bytes. For that reason, it
       is important to always check the error return value of RAND_bytes() and
       RAND_priv_bytes() and not take randomness for granted.

       On other platforms, there might not be a trusted entropy source
       available or OpenSSL might have been explicitly configured to use
       different entropy sources.  If you are in doubt about the quality of
       the entropy source, don't hesitate to ask your operating system vendor
       or post a question on GitHub or the openssl-users mailing list.

RETURN VALUES
       RAND_bytes() and RAND_priv_bytes() return 1 on success, -1 if not
       supported by the current RAND method, or 0 on other failure. The error
       code can be obtained by ERR_get_error(3).

SEE ALSO
       RAND_add(3), RAND_bytes(3), RAND_priv_bytes(3), ERR_get_error(3),
       RAND(7), EVP_RAND(7)

HISTORY
       ⊕ RAND_pseudo_bytes() was deprecated in OpenSSL 1.1.0; use RAND_bytes()
         instead.

       ⊕ The RAND_priv_bytes() function was added in OpenSSL 1.1.1.

       ⊕ The RAND_bytes_ex() and RAND_priv_bytes_ex() functions were added in
         OpenSSL 3.0

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright 2000-2023 The OpenSSL Project Authors. All Rights Reserved.

       Licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (the "License").  You may not use
       this file except in compliance with the License.  You can obtain a copy
       in the file LICENSE in the source distribution or at
       <https://www.openssl.org/source/license.html>.



3.0.12                            2023-10-25                     RAND_bytes(3)