SSL_CTX_CONFIG(3ossl)

✨ SSL_CTX_CONFIG(3ossl) ✨

okay bestie, welcome to the OpenSSL manual page for SSL_CTX_config and SSL_config 💅 this is page 3ossl of the OpenSSL docs, and she is serving configure your SSL stuff from a config file realness 🎀

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🌸 NAME 🌸

SSL_CTX_config, SSL_config — configure an SSL_CTX or SSL structure 🛠️✨

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

#include <openssl/ssl.h>

int SSL_CTX_config(SSL_CTX *ctx, const char *name);
int SSL_config(SSL *s, const char *name);

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

So. The functions SSL_CTX_config() and SSL_config() configure an SSL_CTX or an SSL structure using the configuration name. That's it, that's the vibe 🫶

By calling SSL_CTX_config() or SSL_config(), an application can do so many complex tasks based on the contents of the configuration file — which greatly simplifies application configuration code 😭👑 no cap, that's the actual word used, "greatly". She said what she said.

And there's a little bonus glow-up: a degree of future proofing can also be achieved. An application can support configuration features in newer versions of OpenSSL automatically ⭐ like, she grows with the library. main character energy fr fr.

Heads up bestie ⚠️ a configuration file must have been previously loaded, for example using CONF_modules_load_file(). Don't skip that step, she will not work 💀

See config(5) for the details of the configuration file syntax 📝

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🎀 RETURN VALUES 🎀

SSL_CTX_config() and SSL_config() return 1 for success or 0 if an error occurred.

like. one is good. zero is bad. simple as 💅

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🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

Okay so imagine the file "config.cnf" contains the following:

testapp = test_sect

[test_sect]
# list of configuration modules

ssl_conf = ssl_sect

[ssl_sect]
server = server_section

[server_section]
RSA.Certificate = server-rsa.pem
ECDSA.Certificate = server-ecdsa.pem
Ciphers = ALL:!RC4

Then an application could call:

if (CONF_modules_load_file("config.cnf", "testapp", 0) <= 0) {
    fprintf(stderr, "Error processing config file\n");
    goto err;
}

ctx = SSL_CTX_new(TLS_server_method());

if (SSL_CTX_config(ctx, "server") == 0) {
    fprintf(stderr, "Error configuring server.\n");
    goto err;
}

In this example two certificates and the cipher list are configured without the need for any additional application code 🔥 ate and left no crumbs.

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💜 SEE ALSO 💜

ssl(7), config(5), SSL_CONF_cmd(3), CONF_modules_load_file(3)

go read those too, iykyk 📚

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⭐ HISTORY ⭐

The SSL_CTX_config() and SSL_config() functions were added in OpenSSL 1.1.0. she's been iconic for a minute 🕰️

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🍓 COPYRIGHT 🍓

Copyright 2015-2020 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>.

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mwah 💋 that's the whole page bestie, go forth and configure responsibly 🌸🦋💖

signing off from 3.5.9, dated 2026-09-29, page SSL_CTX_CONFIG(3ossl) — periodt 👑💅