OPENSSL-PRIME(1ossl)

💅 OPENSSL-PRIME — okay so, prime numbers, but make it terminal

Hey bestie 🫶 real talk, this is openssl-prime, and it lives in the OpenSSL manual family (1ossl, iykyk). She computes prime numbers. That's the whole vibe. Let's get into it ✨

🦋 SYNOPSIS

openssl prime [-help] [-hex] [-generate] [-bits num] [-safe] [-provider
name] [-provider-path path] [-provparam [name:]key=value] [-propquery
propq] [-checks num] [number ...]

🌸 DESCRIPTION

So like, this command checks if the numbers you give it are prime. That's her main character job 🔥

But if you don't hand her any numbers on the command line, then you should be using the -generate flag, and she'll generate primes for you based on whatever requirements the rest of the flags are asking for. It's giving build-a-prime workshop, no cap 💖

✨ OPTIONS ✨

Okay here's the whole flag menu, go off 👑

• -help — shows you an option summary. The little "what even is this" button, we love her 🙈
• -hex — generate hex output. Hex girl summer 💜
• -generate — generate a prime number. She makes one for you, periodt.
• -bits num — generate a prime with num bits. Tell her how chunky you want it 🎀
• -safe — when you use this with -generate, she generates a "safe" prime. So if the number she generated is n, she checks that (n-1)/2 is also prime. Extra validation, extra slay ⭐

And then the provider squad, all four of them chillin' together:

• -provider name
• -provider-path path
• -provparam [name:]key=value
• -propquery propq

These ones are like, "see Provider Options in openssl(1), provider(7), and property(7)" — that's where the real lore lives, go read it bestie 📚

• -checks num — okay this is lowkey funny: this parameter is ignored. She just does not care. Not even a little. 💀

Ngl, -checks num being fully ignored is so real of her. Just know that going in so you're not sitting there wondering why nothing changes 🙈

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👑 COPYRIGHT

Copyright 2017-2020 The OpenSSL Project Authors. All Rights Reserved.

Licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (the "License"). You may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You can obtain a copy in the file LICENSE in the source distribution or at <https://www.openssl.org/source/license.html>.

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That's the whole page, bestie 🧚✨ She's version 3.5.6, dated 2026-04-07, and she's an OpenSSL girlie through and through. Go check those primes, ily, bye 💖🌈🍓