NAME

       openssl-rand - generate pseudo-random bytes

SYNOPSIS

       openssl rand [-help] [-out file] [-base64] [-hex] [-engine id] [-rand files] [-writerand
       file] [-provider name] [-provider-path path] [-propquery propq] num

DESCRIPTION

       This command generates num random bytes using a cryptographically secure pseudo random
       number generator (CSPRNG).

       The random bytes are generated using the RAND_bytes(3) function, which provides a security
       level of 256 bits, provided it managed to seed itself successfully from a trusted
       operating system entropy source.  Otherwise, the command will fail with a nonzero error
       code.  For more details, see RAND_bytes(3), RAND(7), and EVP_RAND(7).

OPTIONS

       -help
           Print out a usage message.

       -out file
           Write to file instead of standard output.

       -base64
           Perform base64 encoding on the output.

       -hex
           Show the output as a hex string.

       -engine id
           See "Engine Options" in openssl(1).  This option is deprecated.

       -rand files, -writerand file
           See "Random State Options" in openssl(1) for details.

       -provider name
       -provider-path path
       -propquery propq
           See "Provider Options" in openssl(1), provider(7), and property(7).

SEE ALSO

       openssl(1), RAND_bytes(3), RAND(7), EVP_RAND(7)

HISTORY

       The -engine option was deprecated in OpenSSL 3.0.

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright 2000-2021 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>.