OPENSSL-VERSION(1ossl)

✨ OPENSSL-VERSION 💅

okay so real talk: this is the openssl-version page from the OpenSSL manual set, and bestie, it's literally just about asking OpenSSL "who are you and what are you made of?" 🎀

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🌸 NAME 🌸

openssl-version — print OpenSSL version information ✨

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

openssl version [-help] [-a] [-v] [-b] [-o] [-f] [-p] [-d] [-e] [-m]
[-r] [-c] [-w]

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

This command is used to print out version information about OpenSSL. That's it, that's the whole vibe — it's giving "tell me everything about yourself" energy 🔥

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👑 OPTIONS 👑

• -help — print out a usage message. classic little helper 🫶
• -a — All information! this is the same as setting all the other flags, so it's the full lore dump, no cap 💀
• -v — the current OpenSSL version 🌈
• -b — the date the current version of OpenSSL was built. birthday info fr fr 🎂
• -o — option information: the various options that were set when the library was built ⭐
• -f — compilation flags 🚩
• -p — platform setting 💻
• -d — OPENSSLDIR setting — where OpenSSL calls home 🏠
• -e — ENGINESDIR settings 🔧
• -m — MODULESDIR settings 📦
• -r — the random number generator source settings 🎲
• -c — the OpenSSL CPU settings info 🧠
• -w — the OpenSSL OSSL_WINCTX build time variable, if set. used for computing Windows registry key names. Heads up though: this option is unavailable on non-Windows platforms 🙈

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🧚 HISTORY 🧚

okay so storytime, because this one's kind of iconic 👑

In OpenSSL versions prior to 3.4, OpenSSL had a limitation regarding the OPENSSLDIR, MODULESDIR and ENGINESDIR build time macros. These macros were defined at build time, and represented filesystem paths. This is common practice on unix like systems, as there was an expectation that a given build would be installed to a pre-determined location. On Windows however, there is no such expectation, as libraries can be installed to arbitrary locations. 😭

OSSL_WINCTX was introduced as a new build time variable to define a set of registry keys identified by the name openssl-<version>-<ctx>, in which the <version> value is derived from the version string in the openssl source, and the <ctx> extension is derived from the OSSL_WINCTX variable. The values of OPENSSLDIR, ENGINESDIR and MODULESDIR can be set to various paths underneath this key to break the requirement to predict the installation path at build time. slay 💅

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💜 NOTES 💜

The output of openssl version -a would typically be used when sending in a bug report. so yeah, if something's broken, run that and paste it — the maintainers will be obsessed with you 🫶

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🌟 COPYRIGHT 🌟

Copyright 2000-2024 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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literally the whole page is just "ask OpenSSL about itself," and honestly? relatable main character energy 🌈

and that's a wrap bestie!! this page is OpenSSL 3.5.6, dated 2026-04-07, manual OPENSSL-VERSION(1ossl) — go forth and -a responsibly 💖✨🎀