The fgets() and gets() are two functions in C language that are used to read a string value with spaces from the standard input¹. However, they have some differences in their syntax, parameters, return value, and safety.

The fgets() function reads a line from the specified stream and stores it into the string pointed to by str. It stops when either (n-1) characters are read, the newline character is read, or the end-of-file is reached, whichever comes first².

The syntax of fgets() is:

The parameters of fgets() are:

• str: Pointer to an array of chars where the string read is copied.

• n: Maximum number of characters to be copied into str (including the terminating null character).

• stream: Pointer to a FILE object that identifies an input stream. Note: stdin can be used as argument to read from the standard input.

The return value of fgets() is:

• The function returns a pointer to the string where the input is stored. If the End-of-File is encountered and no characters have been read, the contents of str remain unchanged and a null pointer is returned. If an error occurs, a null pointer is returned².

The features of fgets() are:

• It follows some parameters such as Maximum length, buffer, and input device reference.

• It is safe to use because it checks the array bound.

• It keeps on reading until a new line character is encountered or the maximum limit of the character array¹.

Here is an example of using fgets():