标准的C函数是rand()。它可以用来发纸牌，但很糟糕。rand()的许多实现通过一个简短的数字列表循环，低位的周期更短。一些程序调用rand()的方式很糟糕，计算一个传递给srand()的好种子也很困难。

在C语言中生成随机数的最佳方法是使用第三方库，如OpenSSL。例如,

#include <stdint.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <openssl/rand.h>

/* Random integer in [0, limit) */
unsigned int random_uint(unsigned int limit) {
    union {
        unsigned int i;
        unsigned char c[sizeof(unsigned int)];
    } u;

    do {
        if (!RAND_bytes(u.c, sizeof(u.c))) {
            fprintf(stderr, "Can't get random bytes!\n");
            exit(1);
        }
    } while (u.i < (-limit % limit)); /* u.i < (2**size % limit) */
    return u.i % limit;
}

/* Random double in [0.0, 1.0) */
double random_double() {
    union {
        uint64_t i;
        unsigned char c[sizeof(uint64_t)];
    } u;

    if (!RAND_bytes(u.c, sizeof(u.c))) {
        fprintf(stderr, "Can't get random bytes!\n");
        exit(1);
    }
    /* 53 bits / 2**53 */
    return (u.i >> 11) * (1.0/9007199254740992.0);
}

int main() {
    printf("Dice: %d\n", (int)(random_uint(6) + 1));
    printf("Double: %f\n", random_double());
    return 0;
}

为什么有这么多代码?其他语言，如Java和Ruby，都有用于随机整数或浮点数的函数。OpenSSL只提供随机字节，因此我尝试模拟Java或Ruby如何将它们转换为整数或浮点数。

对于整数，我们要避免模偏置。假设我们从rand() % 10000中得到一些随机的4位整数，但是rand()只能返回0到32767(就像在Microsoft Windows中那样)。0到2767之间的每个数字出现的频率要高于2768到9999之间的每个数字。为了消除偏差，我们可以在值低于2768时重试rand()，因为从2768到32767的30000值统一映射到从0到9999的10000值。

对于浮点数，我们需要53个随机位，因为double类型拥有53位精度(假设它是IEEE double类型)。如果我们使用超过53位，就会产生舍入偏差。有些程序员写rand() / (double)RAND_MAX这样的代码，但是rand()可能只返回31位，或者在Windows中只返回15位。

OpenSSL的RAND_bytes()可能通过读取Linux中的/dev/urandom来自行播种。如果我们需要很多随机数，从/dev/urandom读取它们会很慢，因为它们必须从内核复制。允许OpenSSL从种子中生成更多的随机数会更快。

更多关于随机数的内容:

Perl的Perl_seed()是一个如何在C中为srand()计算种子的例子。如果它不能读取/dev/ urrandom，它会混合来自当前时间、进程ID和一些指针的比特。 OpenBSD的arc4random_uniform()解释了模偏置。 random的Java API描述了从随机整数中去除偏差的算法，并将53位打包到随机浮点数中。

对于c, STL不存在，你必须调用rand，或者更好的是，随机。它们在标准库头文件stdlib.h中声明。rand是POSIX, random是BSD规范函数。

rand和random之间的区别是random返回一个更有用的32位随机数，而rand通常返回一个16位数。BSD手册显示rand的较低位是循环的和可预测的，因此rand对于较小的数字可能是无用的。

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

void main() 
{
    int visited[100];
    int randValue, a, b, vindex = 0;

    randValue = (rand() % 100) + 1;

    while (vindex < 100) {
        for (b = 0; b < vindex; b++) {
            if (visited[b] == randValue) {
                randValue = (rand() % 100) + 1;
                b = 0;
            }
        }

        visited[vindex++] = randValue;
    }

    for (a = 0; a < 100; a++)
        printf("%d ", visited[a]);
}

下面是我的方法(围绕rand()的包装器):

我还扩展到允许min为INT_MIN而max为INT_MAX的情况，这通常不可能单独使用rand()，因为它返回从0到RAND_MAX的值，包括(1/2范围)。

像这样使用它:

const int MIN = 1;
const int MAX = 1024;
// Get a pseudo-random number between MIN and MAX, **inclusive**.
// Seeding of the pseudo-random number generator automatically occurs
// the very first time you call it.
int random_num = utils_rand(MIN, MAX);

定义和氧描述:

#include <assert.h>
#include <stdbool.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

/// \brief      Use linear interpolation to rescale, or "map" value `val` from range
///             `in_min` to `in_max`, inclusive, to range `out_min` to `out_max`, inclusive.
/// \details    Similar to Arduino's ingenious `map()` function:
///             https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/language/functions/math/map/
///
/// TODO(gabriel): turn this into a gcc statement expression instead to prevent the potential for
/// the "double evaluation" bug. See `MIN()` and `MAX()` above.
#define UTILS_MAP(val, in_min, in_max, out_min, out_max) \
    (((val) - (in_min)) * ((out_max) - (out_min)) / ((in_max) - (in_min)) + (out_min))

/// \brief      Obtain a pseudo-random integer value between `min` and `max`, **inclusive**.
/// \details    1. If `(max - min + 1) > RAND_MAX`, then the range of values returned will be
///             **scaled** to the range `max - min + 1`, and centered over the center of the
///             range at `(min + max)/2`. Scaling the numbers means that in the case of scaling,
///             not all numbers can even be reached. However, you will still be assured to have
///             a random distribution of numbers across the full range.
///             2. Also, the first time per program run that you call this function, it will
///             automatically seed the pseudo-random number generator with your system's
///             current time in seconds.
/// \param[in]  min         The minimum pseudo-random number you'd like, inclusive. Can be positive
///                         OR negative.
/// \param[in]  max         The maximum pseudo-random number you'd like, inclusive. Can be positive
///                         OR negative.
/// \return     A pseudo-random integer value between `min` and `max`, **inclusive**.
int utils_rand(int min, int max)
{
    static bool first_run = true;
    if (first_run)
    {
        // seed the pseudo-random number generator with the seconds time the very first run
        time_t time_now_sec = time(NULL);
        srand(time_now_sec);
        first_run = false;
    }

    int range = max - min + 1;
    int random_num = rand();  // random num from 0 to RAND_MAX, inclusive

    if (range > RAND_MAX)
    {
        static_assert(
            sizeof(long int) > sizeof(int),
            "This must be true or else the below mapping/scaling may have undefined overflow "
            "and not work properly. In such a case, try casting to `long long int` instead of "
            "just `long int`, and update this static_assert accordingly.");

        random_num = UTILS_MAP((long int)random_num, (long int)0, (long int)RAND_MAX, (long int)min,
                               (long int)max);
        return random_num;
    }

    // This is presumably a faster approach than the map/scaling function above, so do this faster
    // approach below whenever you don't **have** to do the more-complicated approach above.
    random_num %= range;
    random_num += min;

    return random_num;
}

参见:

[我在写下上面的答案后发现了这个问答，但它显然非常相关，他们对非缩放范围的情况做了同样的事情]我如何从rand()中获得特定的数字范围? [我需要进一步研究和阅读这个答案-似乎有一些好的观点，保持良好的随机性不使用模量]我如何从rand()得到一个特定的数字范围? http://c-faq.com/lib/randrange.html

你可以生成随机字符，然后将它们视为int:

#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdio.h>

typedef double rand_type; // change double to int

rand_type my_rand() {
    char buff[sizeof(rand_type)];
    for (size_t i = 0 ; i < sizeof(rand_type) ; ++i)
        buff[i] = (char) rand();
    return *(rand_type *) buff;
}

int main() {
    int i ; // srand as you want
    for (i = 0 ; i < 10 ; ++i)
        printf("%g\n", my_rand()); // change %g to %d
    return 0 ;
}

Rand()是生成随机数最方便的方法。

你也可以从任何在线服务如random.org捕获随机数。