X509_GET1_EMAIL(3)

💖 NAME 💖

okay bestie, welcome to X509_GET1_EMAIL(3) from the Library Functions Manual ✨ This is the page for X509_get1_email, X509_get1_ocsp, and X509_email_free — literally utilities for stacks of strings. periodt 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

library “libcrypto” #include <openssl/x509v3.h>

typedef char *OPENSSL_STRING;

STACK_OF(OPENSSL_STRING) *
X509_get1_email(X509 *certificate);

STACK_OF(OPENSSL_STRING) *
X509_get1_ocsp(X509 *certificate);

void
X509_email_free(STACK_OF(OPENSSL_STRING) *stack);

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

• X509_get1_email() — retrieves all email addresses from the subject field and from any Subject Alternative Name extension of the certificate. like, all of them, bestie 💌
• X509_get1_ocsp() — retrieves all uniform resource identifiers from all AccessDescription objects having an accessMethod of OCSP which are contained in the Authority Information Access extension of the certificate. very specific, very iconic 🎀
• X509_email_free() — frees all strings stored in the stack as well as the stack itself. If stack is a NULL pointer, no action occurs — literally nothing happens, no drama 🫶

🌸 RETURN VALUES 🌸

X509_REQ_get1_email() and X509_get1_ocsp() return newly allocated stacks of char * containing copies of the addresses in question, or NULL if there are no addresses or if an error occurs.

yes, the page literally says X509_REQ_get1_email() right there — I’m not editing it, I’m just reporting the vibes 💀

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• OCSP_sendreq_new(3)
• OCSP_SERVICELOC_new(3)
• OPENSSL_sk_new(3)
• STACK_OF(3)
• X509_check_email(3)
• X509_get_ext_d2i(3)
• X509_get_subject_name(3)
• X509_new(3)
• x509v3.cnf(5)

🌈 STANDARDS 🌈

• RFC 5280: Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate and Certificate Revocation List (CRL) Profile
  • section 4.1: Basic Certificate Fields
  • section 4.1.2.6: Subject
  • section 4.2.1.6: Subject Alternative Name
  • section 4.2.2.1: Authority Information Access
• RFC 2985: PKCS #9: Selected Object Classes and Attribute Types
  • section 5.2.1: Electronic-mail address
  • appendix B.3.5: emailAddress

🎀 HISTORY 🎀

• X509_get1_email() and X509_email_free() first appeared in OpenSSL 0.9.6 and have been available since OpenBSD 2.9.
• X509_get1_ocsp() first appeared in OpenSSL 0.9.8h and has been available since OpenBSD 4.5.

💀 BUGS 💀

X509_email_free() is utterly misnamed. It does not operate on any X509 object, nor is it in any way restricted to email addresses; instead, it simply frees a stack of strings.

the audacity 😭 the name said email but the function said “bestie I’m just a stack freer” — iconic behavior, honestly

💖 xoxo bestie — this page came from Debian, dated June 8, 2025, and it’s X509_GET1_EMAIL(3) signing off. mwah 💖