ASN1_ITEM_LOOKUP(3SSL)

💖 ASN1_ITEM_LOOKUP 💖

okay bestie, you know how OpenSSL has a whole backstage closet full of ASN.1 structures just vibing there? This is the page that hands you the keys. It's in the OpenSSL manual, section 3SSL, and it's genuinely so useful.

---

✨ NAME ✨

ASN1_ITEM_lookup, ASN1_ITEM_get — lookup ASN.1 structures 🦋

So like, both of these are about finding an ASN1_ITEM. One goes by name, one goes by number. That's it, that's the whole gig. 👑

---

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <openssl/asn1.h>

const ASN1_ITEM *ASN1_ITEM_lookup(const char *name);
const ASN1_ITEM *ASN1_ITEM_get(size_t i);

no cap, that's literally the entire API surface. two functions. two lines. slay. 💅

---

🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

• ASN1_ITEM_lookup() — you hand her a name (a plain old const char *) and she gives you back the ASN1_ITEM that goes by that name. it's giving "reservation under my name" energy. 🫶
• ASN1_ITEM_get() — this one doesn't care about names at all, she's all about the index. you pass in i, and she returns the ASN1_ITEM sitting at that position. BUT — and this is important, bestie — if i is out of range, she returns NULL. no drama, no crash, just NULL. 💀

⚠️ fr fr, remember that out-of-range thing. if you're looping through indices, check for NULL or the vibe check will fail hard.

---

⭐ RETURN VALUES ⭐

Both ASN1_ITEM_lookup() and ASN1_ITEM_get() return a valid ASN1_ITEM structure on a good day… or NULL if an error occurred. 😭

Like, that's the whole return story. Either you got your item or you got nothing. very main character, very all-or-nothing.

---

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• ERR_get_error(3) — for when things go sideways and you need the receipts. 🔥

---

👑 COPYRIGHT 👑

Copyright 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>.

---

okay and that's the whole page, bestie!! 🧚✨ this one's from OpenSSL 4.0.3, dated 2026-09-29 — so go forth, look up your ASN.1 structures, and remember: check for NULL. periodt. 💖🎀🦋