How to get a random string of 32 hexadecimal digits through command line?

Question

I\'d like to put together a command that will print out a string of 32 hexadecimal digits. I\'ve got a Python script that works:

python -c \'import random ; prin         


        

Answer 1

If you have hexdump then:

hexdump -n 16 -e '4/4 "%08X" 1 "\n"' /dev/random

should do the job.

Explanation:

• -n 16 to consume 16 bytes of input (32 hex digits = 16 bytes).
• 4/4 "%08X" to iterate four times, consume 4 bytes per iteration and print the corresponding 32 bits value as 8 hex digits, with leading zeros, if needed.
• 1 "\n" to end with a single newline.

Note: this solution uses /dev/random but it could as well use /dev/urandom. The choice between the two is a complex question and out of the scope of this answer. If you are not sure, have a look maybe at this other question.