mcookie
generate a 128-bit random hexadecimal number
TLDR
Generate a 128-bit random hexadecimal number
$ mcookie
Use a file as an additional entropy source$ mcookie --file [path/to/file]
Read at most a specific number of bytes from file as seed$ mcookie --file [path/to/file] --max-size [512]
Show verbose details about randomness sources$ mcookie --verbose
Display version information$ mcookie --version
SYNOPSIS
mcookie [options]
DESCRIPTION
mcookie generates a 128-bit random hexadecimal number (32 hex characters). It is primarily used for generating X authority cookies but can be used for any purpose requiring random data.
PARAMETERS
-f, --file FILE
Use file contents as additional entropy source-m, --max-size BYTES
Maximum bytes to read from file-v, --verbose
Print details about randomness sources-V, --version
Display version information and exit-h, --help
Display help text and exit
OUTPUT
32 hexadecimal characters (128 bits of randomness), printed to standard output with a trailing newline.
INSTALL
sudo apt install util-linux
sudo dnf install util-linux
sudo pacman -S util-linux
sudo apk add mcookie
sudo zypper install util-linux
brew install util-linux
nix profile install nixpkgs#util-linux
CAVEATS
Uses /dev/urandom as its primary entropy source. Part of the util-linux package. The output is not cryptographically audited; for cryptographic key generation, prefer openssl or gpg.
