sousa-gecko/docs/nspr/reference/pr_getrandomnoise.md

PR_GetRandomNoise

Produces a random value for use as a seed value for another random number generator.

Syntax

#include <prrng.h>

NSPR_API(PRSize) PR_GetRandomNoise(
   void    *buf,
   PRSize  size
);

Parameters

The function has these parameters:

buf

A pointer to a caller-supplied buffer to contain the generated random number. buf must be at least as large as specified in size.

size

The size, in bytes, of the requested random number.

Returns

{ref}PRSize value equal to the size of the random number actually generated, or zero. The generated size may be less than the size requested. A return value of zero means that {ref}PR_GetRandomNoise is not implemented on this platform, or there is no available noise to be returned at the time of the call.

Description

{ref}PR_GetRandomNoise provides a random value, depending on platform. The length of the random value is dependent on the platform and its ability to provide a random value at that moment.

{ref}PR_GetRandomNoise is intended to provide a "seed" value for a another random number generator that may be suitable for cryptographic operations. This implies that the random value provided may not be, by itself, cryptographically secure. The value generated by {ref}PR_GetRandomNoise is at best, extremely difficult to predict and is as nondeterministic as the underlying platform permits.