OSSL_ITEM(3ossl)

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

💖 OSSL_ITEM — the OpenSSL core type for generic itemized data 💖

okay bestie, welcome to OSSL_ITEM(3ossl), aka the little struct that could. it's a whole page in section 3 of the OpenSSL manual, and honestly? it's short, it's sweet, and it slays. let's get into it 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

OSSL_ITEM — the OpenSSL Core type for generic itemized data. that's it, that's the name, periodt 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include <openssl/core.h>

typedef struct ossl_item_st OSSL_ITEM;
struct ossl_item_st {
    unsigned int id;
    void *ptr;
};

look at her. two fields. no drama. iconic. 👑

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so like, this type is literally just a tuple of an integer and a pointer. that's the whole vibe. it's a generic type used as a generic descriptor, which basically means the actual meaning of the thing is defined by how it's used — it's giving "we'll know what it means when we get there" energy, and no, that's not a bug, that's the design fr fr 🦋

here's the important bit though, bestie, do not skip this: arrays of this type are passed between the OpenSSL libraries and the providers, and those arrays must be terminated with a tuple where the integer is zero and the pointer NULL. like, 0 and NULL. both. that's your sentinel. no sentinel, no peace. 😭

⚠️ lowkey crucial: if you forget the terminating tuple where id is 0 and ptr is NULL, the code reading your array has no idea where it ends. don't do that to her. 💀

rn this is mainly used for the return value of the provider's error reason strings array — so if you wanna see it in the wild, go check out "Provider Functions" in provider-base(7). iykyk 🌸

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

the whole friend group, together at last 🫶

✨ HISTORY ✨

OSSL_ITEM was added in OpenSSL 3.0. she's new-ish, she's thriving, we love her ⭐

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>.

legal bestie said what she said, and honestly? respect the paperwork. 📜✨

and that's the whole page!! 🌈 this was OpenSSL 3.5.9, dated 2026-09-29, and you just read OSSL_ITEM(3ossl) from cover to cover. main character energy, honestly. go build something cute with your arrays — and remember the 0 + NULL terminator, bestie, or it's over for you 💖🎀🦋

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