PKCS12_NEW(3)

💖 PKCS12_NEW(3) — bestie's guide to PKCS#12 personal information exchange (PFX) 💖

okay so this one lives in the libcrypto library, and it's all about PFX — the personal information exchange vibe. let's get into it ✨

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <openssl/pkcs12.h>

PKCS12 *
PKCS12_new(void);

void
PKCS12_free(PKCS12 *pfx);

PKCS12_MAC_DATA *
PKCS12_MAC_DATA_new(void);

void
PKCS12_MAC_DATA_free(PKCS12_MAC_DATA *mac_data);

like, four functions, two objects, no cap 🫶

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🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

So PKCS12_new() allocates and initializes an empty PKCS12 object — and this thing represents an ASN.1 PFX (personal information exchange) structure, which is defined in RFC 7292 section 4, iykyk. It can hold a pointer to a PKCS7 object (that's the one described over in PKCS7_new(3)) and optionally an instance of PKCS12_MAC_DATA, which we're literally about to talk about below. And PKCS12_free()? That frees pfx. clean and simple 💅

Then there's PKCS12_MAC_DATA_new(), which allocates and initializes an empty PKCS12_MAC_DATA object. That one represents an ASN.1 MacData structure, also defined in RFC 7292 section 4. It's used inside PKCS12, and it can hold a pointer to an X509_SIG object (described in X509_SIG_new(3)) together with a salt value and an iteration count. iconique. and PKCS12_MAC_DATA_free() frees mac_data.

fr fr: _new() gives you the object, _free() takes it away. the way that's the whole cycle 😭

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⭐ RETURN VALUES ⭐

• PKCS12_new() and PKCS12_MAC_DATA_new() return the new PKCS12 or PKCS12_MAC_DATA object, respectively — or NULL if an error occurs. so, like, always check for NULL, bestie 🙈

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🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

• d2i_PKCS12(3)
• PKCS12_create(3)
• PKCS12_newpass(3)
• PKCS12_parse(3)
• PKCS12_SAFEBAG_new(3)
• PKCS7_new(3)
• X509_SIG_new(3)

go read those too, they're all part of the same friend group 💜

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🌈 STANDARDS 🌈

• RFC 7292: PKCS #12: Personal Information Exchange Syntax

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👑 HISTORY 👑

PKCS12_new(), PKCS12_free(), PKCS12_MAC_DATA_new(), and PKCS12_MAC_DATA_free() first appeared in OpenSSL 0.9.3 and have been available since OpenBSD 2.6. vintage 💀✨

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and that's the page, periodt 🎀 this Debian build is dated June 8, 2025 — mwah, enjoy your PFX objects bestie 🍓🧚💖