SSL_LOAD_CLIENT_CA_FILE(3ossl)

📦 version 3.5.0, in opensuse-leap 16.0

🌸 NAME 🌸

okay so this page is SSL_LOAD_CLIENT_CA_FILE(3ossl) — that's the manual name, bestie — and it's all about loading certificate names. The functions are SSL_load_client_CA_file_ex, SSL_load_client_CA_file, SSL_add_file_cert_subjects_to_stack, SSL_add_dir_cert_subjects_to_stack, and SSL_add_store_cert_subjects_to_stack. slay. 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

vibe check: here's the include and signatures, no cap:

        #include <openssl/ssl.h>

        STACK_OF(X509_NAME) *SSL_load_client_CA_file_ex(const char *file,
                                                        OSSL_LIB_CTX *libctx,
                                                        const char *propq);
        STACK_OF(X509_NAME) *SSL_load_client_CA_file(const char *file);

        int SSL_add_file_cert_subjects_to_stack(STACK_OF(X509_NAME) *stack,
                                                const char *file);
        int SSL_add_dir_cert_subjects_to_stack(STACK_OF(X509_NAME) *stack,
                                               const char *dir);
        int SSL_add_store_cert_subjects_to_stack(STACK_OF(X509_NAME) *stack,
                                                 const char *store);

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

  • SSL_load_client_CA_file_ex() — reads certificates from file and returns a STACK_OF(X509_NAME) with the subject names found. The library context libctx and property query propq are used when fetching algorithms from providers. provider-fetch tea, basically.
  • SSL_load_client_CA_file() — similar to SSL_load_client_CA_file_ex() but uses NULL for the library context libctx and property query propq. iconic shortcut vibes.
  • SSL_add_file_cert_subjects_to_stack() — reads certificates from file, and adds their subject name to the already existing stack. 🫶
  • SSL_add_dir_cert_subjects_to_stack() — reads certificates from every file in the directory dir, and adds their subject name to the already existing stack. 🦋
  • SSL_add_store_cert_subjects_to_stack() — loads certificates from the store URI, and adds their subject name to the already existing stack. ✨

🧚 NOTES 🧚

real talk: SSL_load_client_CA_file() reads a file of PEM formatted certificates and extracts the X509_NAMES of the certificates found. the name suggests the specific usage as support function for SSL_CTX_set_client_CA_list(3) — it's giving support-function energy — but it is not limited to CA certificates. periodt. 💅

🎀 RETURN VALUES 🎀

for SSL_load_client_CA_file_ex() and SSL_load_client_CA_file(), these are the possible returns:

  • NULL — the operation failed, check out the error stack for the reason. 😭
  • Pointer to STACK_OF(X509_NAME) — pointer to the subject names of the successfully read certificates. 👑

and for SSL_add_file_cert_subjects_to_stack(), SSL_add_dir_cert_subjects_to_stack(), and SSL_add_store_cert_subjects_to_stack():

  • 0 (Failure) — the operation failed. 💀
  • 1 (Success) — the operation succeeded. 🎉

🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

Load names of CAs from file and use it as a client CA list:

        SSL_CTX *ctx;
        STACK_OF(X509_NAME) *cert_names;

        ...
        cert_names = SSL_load_client_CA_file("/path/to/CAfile.pem");
        if (cert_names != NULL)
            SSL_CTX_set_client_CA_list(ctx, cert_names);
        else
            /* error */
        ...

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

⭐ HISTORY ⭐

SSL_load_client_CA_file_ex() and SSL_add_store_cert_subjects_to_stack() were added in OpenSSL 3.0. history making, honestly.

copyright tea, kept exact:

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>.

that's the whole page, bestie! footer energy: OpenSSL 3.5.0, dated 2026-09-25, manual SSL_LOAD_CLIENT_CA_FILE(3ossl). byeee, drink water, and may your subject names always load 💅🎀🦋

📦 where this page comes from