X509_STORE_C...ET_BY_SUBJECT(3ossl)

📦 version 3.5.0, in opensuse-leap 16.0

💅 X509_STORE_C...ET_BY_SUBJECT — X509 and X509_CRL lookup functions

okay bestie, so this page lives in the OpenSSL manual (the 3ossl one, you know the vibe) and it's literally the lookup girlies for X509 and X509_CRL. Strap in, it's short and slays. 🦋

✨ NAME ✨

X509_STORE_CTX_get_by_subject, X509_STORE_CTX_get_obj_by_subject — the X509 and X509_CRL lookup functions. that's it, that's the whole name section, and it ate. 💖

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <openssl/x509_vfy.h>

int X509_STORE_CTX_get_by_subject(const X509_STORE_CTX *vs,
                                  X509_LOOKUP_TYPE type,
                                  const X509_NAME *name, X509_OBJECT *ret);
X509_OBJECT *X509_STORE_CTX_get_obj_by_subject(X509_STORE_CTX *vs,
                                               X509_LOOKUP_TYPE type,
                                               const X509_NAME *name);

like, look at those signatures. main character energy fr fr. 👑

🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

X509_STORE_CTX_get_by_subject()

okay so this one tries to find an object of a given type — and that type may be X509_LU_X509 or X509_LU_CRL, those are the two options, no cap — plus a subject name, from the store inside the provided store context vs. 🧚

and if it's found AND ret is not NULL, it increments the reference count and stores the looked-up object in ret. yes, refcount goes up, that's on purpose, don't panic. ✨

X509_STORE_CTX_get_obj_by_subject()

this one is literally like X509_STORE_CTX_get_by_subject() but it just hands you the found object on success, else NULL. same vibes, way less bookkeeping. 🫶

🔥 RETURN VALUES 🔥

  • X509_STORE_CTX_get_by_subject() — returns 1 if the lookup was successful, else 0.
  • X509_STORE_CTX_get_obj_by_subject() — returns an object on success, else NULL.

that's the whole vibe check: 1/0 for the one, object-or-NULL for the other. 🙈

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

go read those next, iykyk. 📚

Copyright 2022 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>.

bestie the license is not a suggestion, it's the whole ruleset. use it in compliance or don't use it at all, periodt. 💅

and that's a wrap! 🌈 this page shipped with OpenSSL 3.5.0, dated 2026-09-2 (yes, exactly like that, don't @ me — i'm just the messenger 🍓). stay safe, keep your refcounts balanced, and stan lookup functions responsibly. mwah 💖🎀✨

📦 where this page comes from