getc(3)

✨ getc — bestie, let's grab a character from a stream 💖

okay so real talk, we're looking at getc from libc (that's the Standard C library, -lc when you're linking, iykyk).

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <stdio.h>

int getc(FILE *stream);

one function, one FILE *stream pointer, that's the whole vibe 💅

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so getc() is literally the same as fgetc(3)... except for the BUGS (scroll down, bestie, they're juicy 😭).

and honestly? use fgetc(3) instead. that's it, that's the recommendation. periodt.

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👑 STANDARDS 👑

this one's repping C23 and POSIX.1-2024. iconic behavior honestly ✨

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🎀 HISTORY 🎀

she's been here a minute: POSIX.1-2001 and C89. a true veteran 💜

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💀 BUGS 💀

okay so this is the part where we get messy. two things, bestie:

🙈 Multiple evaluation

getc may be implemented as a macro, and it may evaluate stream more than once. so if you're passing something with side effects in there... don't. no cap. 😭

🍓 Name

the name is inconsistent. fr fr. people keep confusing it with getchar(3), because normally the <stdio.h> functions that don't have the "f" prefix in their name are the variants that use stdin. so your brain goes "no f = stdin" and then getc is like... no actually 😭 the way that naming choice is a crime.

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• fgetc(3) — the one you should actually be using, she ate 💅

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that's the whole page, bestie 🫶 go forth and read characters responsibly. this lil writeup came to you from Linux man-pages 6.20, dated 2025-10-10 — mwah 💖⭐