OCSP_SENDREQ_NEW(3ossl)

📦
version 3.5.9 · 8 versions
, in fedora 43, fedora 44

💖 OCSP_SENDREQ_NEW 💖

okay so this is the OCSP_sendreq_new(3ossl) page, bestie — it lives in the OpenSSL manual, and it's all about the OCSP responder query functions. yes the name is long. yes it's giving "I have eleven functions and one page". we ball. 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

OCSP_REQ_CTX, OCSP_sendreq_new, OCSP_sendreq_nbio, OCSP_sendreq_bio, OCSP_REQ_CTX_i2d, OCSP_REQ_CTX_add1_header, OCSP_REQ_CTX_free, OCSP_set_max_response_length, OCSP_REQ_CTX_set1_req — the OCSP responder query functions. that's the whole roster. iconic lineup honestly 👑

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <openssl/ocsp.h>

OSSL_HTTP_REQ_CTX *OCSP_sendreq_new(BIO *io, const char *path,
                                    const OCSP_REQUEST *req, int buf_size);
OCSP_RESPONSE *OCSP_sendreq_bio(BIO *io, const char *path, OCSP_REQUEST *req);

so like, plot twist: the following functions have been deprecated since OpenSSL 3.0, and you can hide them entirely by defining OPENSSL_API_COMPAT with a suitable version value. see openssl_user_macros(7) for the deets 🫶

typedef OSSL_HTTP_REQ_CTX OCSP_REQ_CTX;
int OCSP_sendreq_nbio(OCSP_RESPONSE **presp, OSSL_HTTP_REQ_CTX *rctx);
int OCSP_REQ_CTX_i2d(OCSP_REQ_CT *rctx, const ASN1_ITEM *it, ASN1_VALUE *req);
int OCSP_REQ_CTX_add1_header(OCSP_REQ_CT *rctx,
                             const char *name, const char *value);
void OCSP_REQ_CTX_free(OCSP_REQ_CTX *rctx);
void OCSP_set_max_response_length(OCSP_REQ_CT *rctx, unsigned long len);
int OCSP_REQ_CTX_set1_req(OCSP_REQ_CTX *rctx, const OCSP_REQUEST *req);

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so what do these lil guys actually do? they perform an OCSP POST request / response transfer over HTTP, using the HTTP request functions described over in OSSL_HTTP_REQ_CTX(3). cute collab. 💅

OCSP_sendreq_new() builds a complete OSSL_HTTP_REQ_CTX structure, and it wants:

  • the BIO io to be used for requests and response,
  • the URL path path,
  • optionally the OCSP request req,
  • and a response header maximum line length of buf_size.

if buf_size is zero, a default value of 4KiB is used. the req may be set to NULL and provided later using OCSP_REQ_CTX_set1_req() or OSSL_HTTP_REQ_CTX_set1_req(3). the io and path arguments to OCSP_sendreq_new() correspond to the components of the URL. for example: if the responder URL is "http://example.com/ocspreq", the BIO io should have been connected to host "example.com" on port 80, and path should be set to "/ocspreq". see how it all lines up? obsessed. ✨

OCSP_sendreq_nbio() attempts to send the request prepared in rctx and to gather the response via HTTP, using the BIO io and path that were given when calling OCSP_sendreq_new(). if the operation gets completed, it assigns the response — a pointer to an OCSP_RESPONSE structure — in *presp. the function may need to be called again if its result is -1, which indicates BIO_should_retry(3). in such a case it is advisable to sleep a little in between, using BIO_wait(3) on the read BIO to prevent a busy loop. (translation: don't spin like a rotisserie chicken, bestie, let it breathe 😭)

OCSP_sendreq_bio() combines OCSP_sendreq_new() with as many calls of OCSP_sendreq_nbio() as needed and then OCSP_REQ_CTX_free(), with a response header maximum line length 4k. it waits indefinitely on a response. it does not support setting a timeout or adding headers, and it is retained for compatibility — use OSSL_HTTP_transfer(3) instead. like, it's the old reliable that refuses to retire. respect the hustle but also. move on. 💀

OCSP_REQ_CTX_i2d(rctx, it, req) is equivalent to the following:

OSSL_HTTP_REQ_CTX_set1_req(rctx, "application/ocsp-request", it, req)

OCSP_REQ_CTX_set1_req(rctx, req) is equivalent to the following:

OSSL_HTTP_REQ_CTX_set1_req(rctx, "application/ocsp-request",
                           ASN1_ITEM_rptr(OCSP_REQUEST),
                           (const ASN1_VALUE *)req)

the deprecated type and the remaining deprecated functions have been superseded by the following equivalents:

out with the old, in with the new. the glow-up is real 🌈

👑 RETURN VALUES 👑

  • OCSP_sendreq_new() — returns a valid OSSL_HTTP_REQ_CTX structure, or NULL if an error occurred.
  • OCSP_sendreq_nbio() — returns 1 for success, 0 on error, -1 if retry is needed.
  • OCSP_sendreq_bio() — returns the OCSP_RESPONSE structure sent by the responder, or NULL if an error occurred.

three functions, three lil vibe checks. slay. 💅

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

OSSL_HTTP_REQ_CTX(3), OSSL_HTTP_transfer(3), OCSP_cert_to_id(3), OCSP_request_add1_nonce(3), OCSP_REQUEST_new(3), OCSP_resp_find_status(3), OCSP_response_status(3)

the whole friend group, fr fr 🫶

🌟 HISTORY 🌟

OCSP_REQ_CTX, OCSP_REQ_CTX_i2d(), OCSP_REQ_CTX_add1_header(), OCSP_REQ_CTX_free(), OCSP_set_max_response_length(), and OCSP_REQ_CTX_set1_req() were deprecated in OpenSSL 3.0. a whole era. we remember. 🙈

Copyright 2015-2022 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>.

ngl this page is from OpenSSL 3.5.9, dated 2026-09-29. take care of yourself, hydrate, and remember: if it returns -1, just BIO_wait(3) a sec. bye bestie, ily, go read your OCSP responses 💖✨🦋
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