LIBRESSL-SSL_CTX_SET_QUIET_SHUTDOWN(3)

💅 SSL_CTX_SET_QUIET_SHUTDOWN(3) — the group chat edition 🎀

okay so bestie, welcome to the SSL_CTX_SET_QUIET_SHUTDOWN(3) page from the Library Functions Manual — yes that's the whole title, it's giving "my name is on the attendance sheet" energy. grab a strawberry 🍓 and let's get into it, because this one is literally about how your TLS connection says goodbye. and ngl, the goodbye is kinda rude by default-adjacent settings. let's go ✨

---

🌸 NAME 🌸

SSL_CTX_set_quiet_shutdown, SSL_CTX_get_quiet_shutdown, SSL_set_quiet_shutdown, SSL_get_quiet_shutdown — these four icons manipulate shutdown behaviour 🫶

---

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

the library situation is library “libssl” libcrypto, and you pull it in with:

#include <openssl/ssl.h>

then the four besties, verbatim, no cap:

void
SSL_CTX_set_quiet_shutdown(SSL_CTX *ctx, int mode);

int
SSL_CTX_get_quiet_shutdown(const SSL_CTX *ctx);

void
SSL_set_quiet_shutdown(SSL *ssl, int mode);

int
SSL_get_quiet_shutdown(const SSL *ssl);

---

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

the setters and getters, one by one 👑

• SSL_CTX_set_quiet_shutdown() — sets the “quiet shutdown” flag for ctx to be mode. and here's the cute part: SSL objects created from ctx inherit the mode that was valid at the time SSL_new(3) is called. so it's giving "family heirloom" energy. mode may be 0 or 1, that's the whole menu, no secret third option 💀
• SSL_CTX_get_quiet_shutdown() — returns the “quiet shutdown” setting of ctx. that's it. that's the whole function. lowkey iconic for it 🌈
• SSL_set_quiet_shutdown() — sets the “quiet shutdown” flag for ssl to be mode. this setting stays valid until ssl is removed with SSL_free(3) or SSL_set_quiet_shutdown() is called again. and listen — it is not changed when SSL_clear(3) is called. so don't expect a clear to reset this, it will not, periodt. mode may be 0 or 1.
• SSL_get_quiet_shutdown() — returns the “quiet shutdown” setting of ssl. 💜

okay but what does "quiet" actually mean 😭

normally when an SSL connection is finished, the parties must send out “close notify” alert messages using SSL_shutdown(3) for a clean shutdown. that's the polite thing. that's the waving-back energy. 🦋

when you set the “quiet shutdown” flag to 1, though — SSL_shutdown(3) will set the internal flags to SSL_SENT_SHUTDOWN|SSL_RECEIVED_SHUTDOWN. and then SSL_shutdown(3) behaves like SSL_set_shutdown(3) called with SSL_SENT_SHUTDOWN|SSL_RECEIVED_SHUTDOWN. so the session is thus considered to be shut down, but no “close notify” alert is sent to the peer. you just… left. ghosted them. 👻

⚠️ bestie I need you to hear me: this behaviour violates the TLS standard. like, actually. it's in the manpage, it's not me being dramatic. the standard says wave back, this flag says don't. 🚨

the default is normal shutdown behaviour as described by the TLS standard. so if you don't touch this, you're being a good citizen, no notes 💅

---

🎀 RETURN VALUES 🎀

SSL_CTX_get_quiet_shutdown() and SSL_get_quiet_shutdown() return the current setting. the setters return void, they return nothing, they simply do their thing and leave 🌸

---

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

ssl(3), SSL_clear(3), SSL_free(3), SSL_new(3), SSL_set_shutdown(3), SSL_shutdown(3) — go read these too, they're all in the same friend group, iykyk 💖

---

👑 HISTORY 👑

these functions first appeared in SSLeay 0.8.1 and have been available since OpenBSD 2.4. elder icons, honestly, they've been slaying since before some of us were born 🙈

---

okay that's the page!! remember: quiet shutdown = ghosting your peer, and it violates the TLS standard, so use it on purpose and not by accident, fr fr 💀

and a lil sign-off from the footer: this beauty comes to you from Debian, dated August 25, 2026, and the page itself is SSL_CTX_SET_QUIET_SHUTDOWN(3) — take care of her, she's been through a lot of renames in that header line 😭🫶✨