# mktemp > Create a temporary file or directory. > Note that examples here all assume `$TMPDIR` is unset. > More information: . - Create an empty temporary file in `/tmp/` and print its absolute path: `mktemp` - Create a temporary directory in `/tmp/` and print its absolute path: `mktemp --directory` - Create an empty temporary file at the specified path, with `X`s replaced with random alphanumeric characters, and print its path: `mktemp "{{path/to/file_XXXXX_name}}"` - Create an empty temporary file in `/tmp/` with the specified name, with `X`s replaced with random alphanumeric characters, and print its path: `mktemp -t "{{file_XXXXX_name}}"`