SSL_CTX_CTRL(3ossl)

💖 SSL_CTX_CTRL 💖

okay bestie, so this is SSL_CTX_CTRL(3ossl) — a lil page from the OpenSSL manual set, and honestly? it's the backstage crew of the whole SSL operation. no cap.

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✨ NAME ✨

SSL_CTX_ctrl, SSL_CTX_callback_ctrl, SSL_ctrl, SSL_callback_ctrl — internal handling functions for SSL_CTX and SSL objects 🎀

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <openssl/ssl.h>

long SSL_CTX_ctrl(SSL_CTX *ctx, int cmd, long larg, void *parg);
long SSL_CTX_callback_ctrl(SSL_CTX *, int cmd, void (*fp)());

long SSL_ctrl(SSL *ssl, int cmd, long larg, void *parg);
long SSL_callback_ctrl(SSL *, int cmd, void (*fp)());

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so the SSL_*_ctrl() family is the little group chat that manipulates settings of your SSL_CTX and SSL objects. it's giving ✨backend gremlins✨ but in a helpful way.

depending on which command you drop in as cmd, the function will go and evaluate larg, parg, or fp — like, it picks which argument actually matters based on the command. very main character of it.

🚨 bestie listen. these functions should never be called directly. like, not even once. 🙈 all the functionality you actually need is already handed to you through other functions or macros. this is a do-not-touch situation, iykyk.

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💅 RETURN VALUES 💅

the return values of the SSL*_ctrl() functions depend on the command supplied via the cmd parameter. yeah, it's a mystery box situation — no single answer, it literally depends on cmd. 😭

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• ssl(7)

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👑 COPYRIGHT 👑

Copyright 2001-2016 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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k that's the whole vibe, bestie 🫶 this was OpenSSL version 3.5.9, dated 2026-09-29, and yes the page is literally called SSL_CTX_CTRL(3ossl). periodt. 💖✨🎀🦋🌸💅