X509_GET_SUBJECT_NAME(3ossl)

📦
version 15.1 · 2 versions
, in freebsd 15.1

🌸 NAME

Ok so bestie, this whole page is about one vibe: getting and setting the issuer and subject names on X509 stuff, and getting hash values of those names. The whole squad is: X509_NAME_hash_ex, X509_NAME_hash, X509_get_subject_name, X509_set_subject_name, X509_subject_name_hash, X509_get_issuer_name, X509_set_issuer_name, X509_issuer_name_hash, X509_REQ_get_subject_name, X509_REQ_set_subject_name, X509_ACERT_get0_issuerName, X509_ACERT_set1_issuerName, X509_CRL_get_issuer, X509_CRL_set_issuer_name — get X509_NAME hashes or get and set issuer or subject names. That's the whole assignment. 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS

#include <openssl/x509.h>

unsigned long X509_NAME_hash_ex(const X509_NAME *x, OSSL_LIB_CTX *libctx,
                                const char *propq, int *ok);

X509_NAME *X509_get_subject_name(const X509 *x);
int X509_set_subject_name(X509 *x, const X509_NAME *name);
unsigned long X509_subject_name_hash(X509 *x);

X509_NAME *X509_get_issuer_name(const X509 *x);
int X509_set_issuer_name(X509 *x, const X509_NAME *name);
unsigned long X509_issuer_name_hash(X509 *x);

X509_NAME *X509_REQ_get_subject_name(const X509_REQ *req);
int X509_REQ_set_subject_name(X509_REQ *req, const X509_NAME *name);

X509_NAME *X509_CRL_get_issuer(const X509_CRL *crl);
int X509_CRL_set_issuer_name(X509_CRL *x, const X509_NAME *name);

#include <openssl/x509_acert.h>

X509_NAME *X509_ACERT_get0_issuerName(const X509_ACERT *x);
int X509_ACERT_set1_issuerName(X509_ACERT *x, const X509_NAME *name);

⚠️ heads up, this next macro has been deprecated since OpenSSL 3.0, and you can hide it entirely by defining OPENSSL_API_COMPAT with a suitable version value — see openssl_user_macros(7):

#define X509_NAME_hash(x) X509_NAME_hash_ex(x, NULL, NULL, NULL)

💅 DESCRIPTION

🎀 the hash girlies

X509_NAME_hash_ex() returns a hash value of name x, or 0 on failure, using any given library context libctx and property query propq. The ok result argument may be NULL, or else it's used to return 1 for success and 0 for failure. Ngl, failure can happen on malloc error or if there's no SHA1 implementation available. 😭

X509_NAME_hash() returns a hash value of name x or 0 on failure, using the default library context and default property query.

🦋 the getters and setters on certs

X509_get_subject_name() returns the subject name of certificate x. The returned value is an internal pointer which MUST NOT be freed. x MUST NOT be NULL. Like, literally do not touch it, it's not yours. 🙈

X509_set_subject_name() sets the issuer name of certificate x to name. The name parameter is copied internally and should be freed up when it is no longer needed.

X509_subject_name_hash() returns a hash value of the subject name of certificate x.

X509_get_issuer_name(), X509_set_issuer_name(), and X509_issuer_name_hash() are identical to X509_get_subject_name(), X509_set_subject_name(), and X509_subject_name_hash() except they relate to the issuer name of x. Same energy, different name field. ✨

💖 the request / CRL / ACERT crew

Similarly X509_REQ_get_subject_name(), X509_REQ_set_subject_name(), X509_ACERT_get0_issuerName(), X509_ACERT_set1_issuerName(), X509_CRL_get_issuer() and X509_CRL_set_issuer_name() get or set the subject or issuer names of certificate requests of CRLs respectively.

Since attribute certificates don't have a subject name, only the issuer name can be set. For details on setting X509_ACERT holder identities, see X509_ACERT_set0_holder_entityName(3).

🫶 RETURN VALUES

X509_get_subject_name(), X509_get_issuer_name(), X509_REQ_get_subject_name() X509_ACERT_get0_issuerName() and X509_CRL_get_issuer() return an X509_NAME pointer.

X509_NAME_hash_ex(), X509_NAME_hash(), X509_subject_name_hash() and X509_issuer_name_hash() return the first four bytes of the SHA1 hash value, converted to unsigned long in little endian order, or 0 on failure. slay 🔥

X509_set_subject_name(), X509_set_issuer_name(), X509_REQ_set_subject_name(), X509_ACERT_get0_issuerName() and X509_CRL_set_issuer_name() return 1 for success and 0 for failure.

💀 BUGS

Ok so this is the messy part: in case X509_NAME_hash(), X509_subject_name_hash(), or X509_issuer_name_hash() returns 0, it remains unclear if this is the real hash value or due to failure. 😬 Like, is it a 0 or a 0? Nobody knows. Better use X509_NAME_hash_ex() instead. Periodt.

🔥 SEE ALSO

d2i_X509(3), ERR_get_error(3), d2i_X509(3) X509_CRL_get0_by_serial(3), X509_get0_signature(3), X509_get_ext_d2i(3), X509_get_extension_flags(3), X509_get_pubkey(3), X509_NAME_add_entry_by_txt(3), X509_NAME_ENTRY_get_object(3), X509_NAME_get_index_by_NID(3), X509_NAME_print_ex(3), X509_new(3), X509_sign(3), X509V3_get_d2i(3), X509_verify_cert(3)

(yes, d2i_X509(3) is in there twice — the manpage said it, so I'm saying it 🫶)

🦋 HISTORY

  • X509_REQ_get_subject_name() is a function in OpenSSL 1.1.0 and a macro in earlier versions.
  • X509_CRL_get_issuer() is a function in OpenSSL 1.1.0. It was previously added in OpenSSL 1.0.0 as a macro.
  • X509_NAME_hash() was turned into a macro and deprecated in OpenSSL 3.0.
  • X509_ACERT_get0_issuerName(), X509_ACERT_set1_issuerName() were added in OpenSSL 3.4.

👑

Copyright 2015-2024 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 💖 mwah 💋 — this was X509_GET_SUBJECT_NAME(3ossl), OpenSSL 3.5.6, dated 2026-04-07. go get those names 👑✨

📦 where this page comes from