Get the number of bytes (characters) available for reading over the serial port.
None
The number of bytes are available to read in the serial buffer, or 0 if none are available. If any data has come in, Serial.available() will be greater than 0. The serial buffer can hold up to 128 bytes.
int incomingByte = 0;	// for incoming serial data
void setup() {
	Serial.begin(9600);	// opens serial port, sets data rate to 9600 bps
}
void loop() {
	// send data only when you receive data:
	if (Serial.available() > 0) {
		// read the incoming byte:
		incomingByte = Serial.read();
		// say what you got:
		Serial.print("I received: ");
		Serial.println(incomingByte, DEC);
	}
}
Arduino Mega example:
void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  Serial1.begin(9600);
}
void loop() {
  // read from port 0, send to port 1:
  if (Serial.available()) {
    int inByte = Serial.read();
    Serial1.print(inByte, BYTE); 
  }
  // read from port 1, send to port 0:
  if (Serial1.available()) {
    int inByte = Serial1.read();
    Serial.print(inByte, BYTE); 
  }
}