OPENSSL-VERSION(1ossl)

📦 version 3.5.0, in opensuse-leap 16.0

💖 OPENSSL-VERSION(1ossl) 💖

okay bestie so this is the openssl-version page from the OpenSSL manual, section 1ossl — yes it's a whole manual page just for asking OpenSSL "who are you and what are you made of" 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

openssl-version — print OpenSSL version information. that's it. that's the whole job. and she does it flawlessly 👑

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

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

literally just openssl version and then sprinkle flags on top like glitter 🌸

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

bestie. this command is the command. it prints out version information about OpenSSL. that's the entire vibe check of this manpage and honestly? iconic 💅

✨ OPTIONS ✨

  • -help — prints out a usage message. the "help me help you" flag 🥺
  • -a — all information. this is the same as setting all the other flags. yes, ALL of them. she's an overachiever, we stan 🎀
  • -v — the current OpenSSL version. the classic. the main character ⭐
  • -b — the date the current version of OpenSSL was built. her birthday 🎂
  • -o — option information: various options set when the library was built. the receipts 🧾
  • -f — compilation flags. how she was raised 💀
  • -p — platform setting. where she's living rn 🏠
  • -d — OPENSSLDIR setting. her address, lowkey 📍
  • -e — ENGINESDIR settings. the engine room 🚂
  • -m — MODULESDIR settings. where the modules hang out 🦋
  • -r — the random number generator source settings. chaos, but make it cryptographic 🔥
  • -c — the OpenSSL CPU settings info. what her silicon is giving 🧠
  • -w — the OpenSSL OSSL_WINCTX build time variable, if set. used for computing Windows registry key names. this option is unavailable on non-Windows platforms — so if you're on unix, don't come for her, she simply cannot 🙈
ngl if you try -w on something that isn't Windows, that's a no from her. it is unavailable there. periodt.

🌈 HISTORY 🌈

okay so gather round, storytime 📖 — 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. make sense, right? very "we know where you live" energy 🏡

on Windows however, there is no such expectation, as libraries can be installed to arbitrary locations. chaos. no fixed address. so ✨ 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. and 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. she said "no more guessing" and honestly? slay 💅

🦋 NOTES 🦋

the output of "openssl version -a" would typically be used when sending in a bug report. so when something breaks, this is your receipts folder — screenshot and send 📸🫶

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>.

and that's the whole page bestie, no cap 💜✨

signed off with love — version 3.5.0, dated 2026-09-25, OPENSSL-VERSION(1ossl), brought to you by the OpenSSL girlies 🎀💖

📦 where this page comes from