OCSP_RESPONSE_STATUS(3SSL)

📦
version 4.0.3 · 14 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

✨ OCSP_RESPONSE_STATUS — the OpenSSL OCSP response glow-up guide 💅

okay bestie, welcome to OCSP_RESPONSE_STATUS(3SSL), aka the part of OpenSSL where you get to be the responder in the OCSP group chat. 🎀 This page is all about how you check a response's status, dig the basic response out of it, build and free responses, tell the world who the responder is (by name or by key), and sign the whole thing. Buckle up, it's giving ✨certificate authority main character✨.

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <openssl/ocsp.h>

int OCSP_response_status(OCSP_RESPONSE *resp);
OCSP_BASICRESP *OCSP_response_get1_basic(OCSP_RESPONSE *resp);
OCSP_RESPONSE *OCSP_response_create(int status, OCSP_BASICRESP *bs);
void OCSP_RESPONSE_free(OCSP_RESPONSE *resp);

int OCSP_RESPID_set_by_name(OCSP_RESPID *respid, X509 *cert);
int OCSP_RESPID_set_by_key_ex(OCSP_RESPID *respid, X509 *cert,
                              OSSL_LIB_CTX *libctx, const char *propq);
int OCSP_RESPID_set_by_key(OCSP_RESPID *respid, X509 *cert);
int OCSP_RESPID_match_ex(OCSP_RESPID *respid, X509 *cert, OSSL_LIB_CTX *libctx,
                         const char *propq);
int OCSP_RESPID_match(OCSP_RESPID *respid, X509 *cert);

int OCSP_basic_sign(OCSP_BASICRESP *brsp, X509 *signer, EVP_PKEY *key,
                    const EVP_MD *dgst, const STACK_OF(X509) *certs,
                    unsigned long flags);
int OCSP_basic_sign_ctx(OCSP_BASICRESP *brsp, X509 *signer, EVP_MD_CTX *ctx,
                        const STACK_OF(X509) *certs, unsigned long flags);

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

🦋 Status check, bestie

OCSP_response_status() returns the OCSP response status of resp. You get back one of these lil guys:

  • OCSP_RESPONSE_STATUS_SUCCESSFUL
  • OCSP_RESPONSE_STATUS_MALFORMEDREQUEST
  • OCSP_RESPONSE_STATUS_INTERNALERROR
  • OCSP_RESPONSE_STATUS_TRYLATER
  • OCSP_RESPONSE_STATUS_SIGREQUIRED
  • OCSP_RESPONSE_STATUS_UNAUTHORIZED

🎀 Getting the good stuff out

OCSP_response_get1_basic() decodes and returns the OCSP_BASICRESP structure contained in resp. that's the actual payload you wanted, periodt.

✨ Making (and yeeting) responses

OCSP_response_create() creates and returns an OCSP_RESPONSE structure for status, and optionally includes the basic response bs.

OCSP_RESPONSE_free() frees up the OCSP response resp. And if the argument is NULL? Nothing happens. It's unbothered. 💅

🫶 Who even is the responder?

OCSP_RESPID_set_by_name() sets the name of the OCSP_RESPID to be the same as the subject name in the supplied X509 certificate cert for the OCSP responder.

OCSP_RESPID_set_by_key_ex() sets the key of the OCSP_RESPID to be the same as the key in the supplied X509 certificate cert for the OCSP responder. The key is stored as a SHA1 hash. To calculate the hash, the SHA1 algorithm is fetched using the library ctx libctx and the property query string propq — go peek at "ALGORITHM FETCHING" in crypto(7) if you need the lore.

OCSP_RESPID_set_by_key() does the same as OCSP_RESPID_set_by_key_ex() except that the default library context is used with an empty property query string.

Note that an OCSP_RESPID can only have one of the name, or the key set. Calling OCSP_RESPID_set_by_name() or OCSP_RESPID_set_by_key() will clear any existing setting. so pick a lane, she can't do both 😭

💜 Do they match?

OCSP_RESPID_match_ex() tests whether the OCSP_RESPID given in respid matches with the X509 certificate cert, based on the SHA1 hash. To calculate the hash, the SHA1 algorithm is fetched using the library ctx libctx and the property query string propq — again, see "ALGORITHM FETCHING" in crypto(7) for the details.

OCSP_RESPID_match() does the same as OCSP_RESPID_match_ex() except that the default library context is used with an empty property query string.

👑 Signing the thing

OCSP_basic_sign() signs the OCSP response brsp using certificate signer, private key key, digest dgst and additional certificates certs. Two flag situations to know about:

  • If the flags option OCSP_NOCERTS is set, then no certificates will be included in the response.
  • If the flags option OCSP_RESPID_KEY is set, then the responder is identified by key ID rather than by name.

OCSP_basic_sign_ctx() also signs OCSP response brsp but uses the parameters contained in the digest context ctx.

🌈 RETURN VALUES 🌈

  • OCSP_RESPONSE_status() returns a status value.
  • OCSP_response_get1_basic() returns an OCSP_BASICRESP structure pointer, or NULL if an error occurred.
  • OCSP_response_create() returns an OCSP_RESPONSE structure pointer, or NULL if an error occurred.
  • OCSP_RESPONSE_free() does not return a value. it's a void girlie, she gives nothing back 🫥
  • OCSP_RESPID_set_by_name(), OCSP_RESPID_set_by_key(), OCSP_basic_sign(), and OCSP_basic_sign_ctx() return 1 on success or 0 on failure.
  • OCSP_RESPID_match() returns 1 if the OCSP_RESPID and the X509 certificate match, or 0 otherwise.

📝 NOTES 📝

OCSP_response_get1_basic() is only called if the status of a response is OCSP_RESPONSE_STATUS_SUCCESSFUL. no successful status, no basic response, that's the vibe check and you will respect it 🔥

🧚 SEE ALSO 🧚

crypto(7) OCSP_cert_to_id(3) OCSP_request_add1_nonce(3) OCSP_REQUEST_new(3) OCSP_resp_find_status(3) OCSP_sendreq_new(3) OCSP_RESPID_new(3) OCSP_RESPID_free(3)

⭐ HISTORY ⭐

  • The OCSP_RESPID_set_by_name(), OCSP_RESPID_set_by_key() and OCSP_RESPID_match() functions were added in OpenSSL 1.1.0a.
  • The OCSP_basic_sign_ctx() function was added in OpenSSL 1.1.1.

Copyright 2015-2026 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>.

and that's a wrap on OCSP_RESPONSE_STATUS(3SSL) bestie 💖 this one dropped in OpenSSL 4.0.3, dated 2026-09-29 — so if you're reading this, hi from the future, you're doing amazing, go sign something responsibly 👑✨🦋

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