PEM_READ_BIO_PRIVATEKEY(3)

📦 version 4.1.0, in opensuse-leap 16.0

💅 PEM_READ_BIO_PRIVATEKEY(3) — the PEM routines 💅

okay bestie, welcome to the Library Functions Manual entry for PEM_READ_BIO_PRIVATEKEY(3). This page is the whole PEM routine squad roll call, and it is long, so buckle up. 🫶

🎀 NAME 🎀

These are the PEM routines, and the entire cast is:

PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey, PEM_read_PrivateKey, PEM_write_bio_PrivateKey,
PEM_write_PrivateKey, PEM_write_bio_PKCS8PrivateKey,
PEM_write_PKCS8PrivateKey, PEM_write_bio_PKCS8PrivateKey_nid,
PEM_write_PKCS8PrivateKey_nid, PEM_read_bio_PKCS8, PEM_read_PKCS8,
PEM_write_bio_PKCS8, PEM_write_PKCS8, PEM_read_bio_PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO,
PEM_read_PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO, PEM_write_bio_PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO,
PEM_write_PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO, PEM_read_bio_PUBKEY, PEM_read_PUBKEY,
PEM_write_bio_PUBKEY, PEM_write_PUBKEY, PEM_read_bio_RSAPrivateKey,
PEM_read_RSAPrivateKey, PEM_write_bio_RSAPrivateKey,
PEM_write_RSAPrivateKey, PEM_read_bio_RSAPublicKey,
PEM_read_RSAPublicKey, PEM_write_bio_RSAPublicKey,
PEM_write_RSAPublicKey, PEM_read_bio_RSA_PUBKEY, PEM_read_RSA_PUBKEY,
PEM_write_bio_RSA_PUBKEY, PEM_write_RSA_PUBKEY,
PEM_read_bio_DSAPrivateKey, PEM_read_DSAPrivateKey,
PEM_write_bio_DSAPrivateKey, PEM_write_DSAPrivateKey,
PEM_read_bio_DSA_PUBKEY, PEM_read_DSA_PUBKEY, PEM_write_bio_DSA_PUBKEY,
PEM_write_DSA_PUBKEY, PEM_read_bio_DSAparams, PEM_read_DSAparams,
PEM_write_bio_DSAparams, PEM_write_DSAparams, PEM_read_bio_DHparams,
PEM_read_DHparams, PEM_write_bio_DHparams, PEM_write_DHparams,
PEM_read_bio_ECPKParameters, PEM_read_ECPKParameters,
PEM_write_bio_ECPKParameters, PEM_write_ECPKParameters,
PEM_read_bio_ECPrivateKey, PEM_read_ECPrivateKey,
PEM_write_bio_ECPrivateKey, PEM_write_ECPrivateKey,
PEM_read_bio_EC_PUBKEY, PEM_read_EC_PUBKEY, PEM_write_bio_EC_PUBKEY,
PEM_write_EC_PUBKEY, PEM_read_bio_X509, PEM_read_X509,
PEM_write_bio_X509, PEM_write_X509, PEM_read_bio_X509_AUX,
PEM_read_X509_AUX, PEM_write_bio_X509_AUX, PEM_write_X509_AUX,
PEM_read_bio_X509_REQ, PEM_read_X509_REQ, PEM_write_bio_X509_REQ,
PEM_write_X509_REQ, PEM_write_bio_X509_REQ_NEW, PEM_write_X509_REQ_NEW,
PEM_read_bio_X509_CRL, PEM_read_X509_CRL, PEM_write_bio_X509_CRL,
PEM_write_X509_CRL, PEM_read_bio_PKCS7, PEM_read_PKCS7,
PEM_write_bio_PKCS7, PEM_write_PKCS7, PEM_read_CMS, PEM_read_bio_CMS,
PEM_write_CMS, PEM_write_bio_CMS

yep, that is the entire NAME list. no cap. 😭💖

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

okay so the synopsis is giving every prototype ever, and you already know the rule: keep these exactly as written, bestie. 💅

#include <openssl/pem.h>

EVP_PKEY *
PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey(BIO *bp, EVP_PKEY **x, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

EVP_PKEY *
PEM_read_PrivateKey(FILE *fp, EVP_PKEY **x, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_PrivateKey(BIO *bp, EVP_PKEY *x, const EVP_CIPHER *enc,
    unsigned char *kstr, int klen, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_PrivateKey(FILE *fp, EVP_PKEY *x, const EVP_CIPHER *enc,
    unsigned char *kstr, int klen, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_PKCS8PrivateKey(BIO *bp, EVP_PKEY *x,
    const EVP_CIPHER *enc, char *kstr, int klen, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

int
PEM_write_PKCS8PrivateKey(FILE *fp, EVP_PKEY *x, const EVP_CIPHER *enc,
    char *kstr, int klen, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_PKCS8PrivateKey_nid(BIO *bp, EVP_PKEY *x, int nid,
    char *kstr, int klen, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_PKCS8PrivateKey_nid(FILE *fp, EVP_PKEY *x, int nid,
    char *kstr, int klen, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

X509_SIG *
PEM_read_bio_PKCS8(BIO *bp, X509_SIG **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

X509_SIG *
PEM_read_PKCS8(FILE *fp, X509_SIG **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_PKCS8(BIO *bp, X509_SIG *x);

int
PEM_write_PKCS8(FILE *fp, X509_SIG *x);

PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO *
PEM_read_bio_PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO(BIO *bp, PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO **x,
    pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO *
PEM_read_PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO(FILE *fp, PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO **x,
    pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO(BIO *bp, PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO *x);

int
PEM_write_PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO(FILE *fp, PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO *x);

EVP_PKEY *
PEM_read_bio_PUBKEY(BIO *bp, EVP_PKEY **x, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

EVP_PKEY *
PEM_read_PUBKEY(FILE *fp, EVP_PKEY **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_PUBKEY(BIO *bp, EVP_PKEY *x);

int
PEM_write_PUBKEY(FILE *fp, EVP_PKEY *x);

RSA *
PEM_read_bio_RSAPrivateKey(BIO *bp, RSA **x, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

RSA *
PEM_read_RSAPrivateKey(FILE *fp, RSA **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_RSAPrivateKey(BIO *bp, RSA *x, const EVP_CIPHER *enc,
    unsigned char *kstr, int klen, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_RSAPrivateKey(FILE *fp, RSA *x, const EVP_CIPHER *enc,
    unsigned char *kstr, int klen, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

RSA *
PEM_read_bio_RSAPublicKey(BIO *bp, RSA **x, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

RSA *
PEM_read_RSAPublicKey(FILE *fp, RSA **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_RSAPublicKey(BIO *bp, RSA *x);

int
PEM_write_RSAPublicKey(FILE *fp, RSA *x);

RSA *
PEM_read_bio_RSA_PUBKEY(BIO *bp, RSA **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

RSA *
PEM_read_RSA_PUBKEY(FILE *fp, RSA **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_RSA_PUBKEY(BIO *bp, RSA *x);

int
PEM_write_RSA_PUBKEY(FILE *fp, RSA *x);

DSA *
PEM_read_bio_DSAPrivateKey(BIO *bp, DSA **x, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

DSA *
PEM_read_DSAPrivateKey(FILE *fp, DSA **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_DSAPrivateKey(BIO *bp, DSA *x, const EVP_CIPHER *enc,
    unsigned char *kstr, int klen, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_DSAPrivateKey(FILE *fp, DSA *x, const EVP_CIPHER *enc,
    unsigned char *kstr, int klen, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

DSA *
PEM_read_bio_DSA_PUBKEY(BIO *bp, DSA **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

DSA *
PEM_read_DSA_PUBKEY(FILE *fp, DSA **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_DSA_PUBKEY(BIO *bp, DSA *x);

int
PEM_write_DSA_PUBKEY(FILE *fp, DSA *x);

DSA *
PEM_read_bio_DSAparams(BIO *bp, DSA **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

DSA *
PEM_read_DSAparams(FILE *fp, DSA **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_DSAparams(BIO *bp, DSA *x);

int
PEM_write_DSAparams(FILE *fp, DSA *x);

DH *
PEM_read_bio_DHparams(BIO *bp, DH **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

DH *
PEM_read_DHparams(FILE *fp, DH **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_DHparams(BIO *bp, DH *x);

int
PEM_write_DHparams(FILE *fp, DH *x);

EC_GROUP *
PEM_read_bio_ECPKParameters(BIO *bp, EC_GROUP **x, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

EC_GROUP *
PEM_read_ECPKParameters(FILE *fp, EC_GROUP **x, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_ECPKParameters(BIO *bp, const EC_GROUP *x);

int
PEM_write_ECPKParameters(FILE *fp, const EC_GROUP *x);

EC_KEY *
PEM_read_bio_ECPrivateKey(BIO *bp, EC_KEY **key, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

EC_KEY *
PEM_read_ECPrivateKey(FILE *fp, EC_KEY **eckey, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_ECPrivateKey(BIO *bp, EC_KEY *x, const EVP_CIPHER *enc,
    unsigned char *kstr, int klen, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_ECPrivateKey(FILE *fp, EC_KEY *x, const EVP_CIPHER *enc,
    unsigned char *kstr, int klen, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

EC_KEY *
PEM_read_bio_EC_PUBKEY(BIO *bp, EC_KEY **x, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

EC_KEY *
PEM_read_EC_PUBKEY(FILE *fp, EC_KEY **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_EC_PUBKEY(BIO *bp, EC_KEY *x);

int
PEM_write_EC_PUBKEY(FILE *fp, EC_KEY *x);

X509 *
PEM_read_bio_X509(BIO *bp, X509 **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

X509 *
PEM_read_X509(FILE *fp, X509 **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_X509(BIO *bp, X509 *x);

int
PEM_write_X509(FILE *fp, X509 *x);

X509 *
PEM_read_bio_X509_AUX(BIO *bp, X509 **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

X509 *
PEM_read_X509_AUX(FILE *fp, X509 **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_X509_AUX(BIO *bp, X509 *x);

int
PEM_write_X509_AUX(FILE *fp, X509 *x);

X509_REQ *
PEM_read_bio_X509_REQ(BIO *bp, X509_REQ **x, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

X509_REQ *
PEM_read_X509_REQ(FILE *fp, X509_REQ **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_X509_REQ(BIO *bp, X509_REQ *x);

int
PEM_write_X509_REQ(FILE *fp, X509_REQ *x);

int
PEM_write_bio_X509_REQ_NEW(BIO *bp, X509_REQ *x);

int
PEM_write_X509_REQ_NEW(FILE *fp, X509_REQ *x);

X509_CRL *
PEM_read_bio_X509_CRL(BIO *bp, X509_CRL **x, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

X509_CRL *
PEM_read_X509_CRL(FILE *fp, X509_CRL **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_X509_CRL(BIO *bp, X509_CRL *x);

int
PEM_write_X509_CRL(FILE *fp, X509_CRL *x);

PKCS7 *
PEM_read_bio_PKCS7(BIO *bp, PKCS7 **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

PKCS7 *
PEM_read_PKCS7(FILE *fp, PKCS7 **x, pem_password_cb *cb, void *u);

int
PEM_write_bio_PKCS7(BIO *bp, PKCS7 *x);

int
PEM_write_PKCS7(FILE *fp, PKCS7 *x);

#include <openssl/cms.h>

CMS_ContentInfo *
PEM_read_CMS(FILE *fp, CMS_ContentInfo **x, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

CMS_ContentInfo *
PEM_read_bio_CMS(BIO *bp, CMS_ContentInfo **x, pem_password_cb *cb,
    void *u);

int
PEM_write_CMS(FILE *fp, const CMS_ContentInfo *x);

int
PEM_write_bio_CMS(BIO *bp, const CMS_ContentInfo *x);

and that is the whole synopsis, bestie — every prototype accounted for, no cap. ✨🦋

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

Okay so picture this: the PEM functions are the little crew that reads or writes structures in PEM format. And what even is PEM format here? It’s simply base64-encoded data surrounded by header lines — that’s the whole vibe. For more details, go see PEM_read(3). 🫶

If you’re like “bestie, what do these arguments even mean,” there’s a whole “PEM function arguments” section below with the tea. ☕

Every operation has four functions riding with it. For brevity, the term “TYPE functions” is the group-chat name for PEM_read_bio_TYPE(), PEM_read_TYPE(), PEM_write_bio_TYPE(), and PEM_write_TYPE(). If there’s no specific set of functions for a given type, PEM_ASN1_read(3) can be used instead. Slay.

The PrivateKey functions read or write a private key in PEM format using an EVP_PKEY structure. The write routines use "traditional" private key format and can handle both RSA and DSA private keys. The read functions can additionally transparently handle PKCS#8 format encrypted and unencrypted keys too. Iconic flexibility, honestly. 💅

PEM_write_bio_PKCS8PrivateKey() and PEM_write_PKCS8PrivateKey() write a private key in an EVP_PKEY structure in PKCS#8 EncryptedPrivateKeyInfo format using PKCS#5 v2.0 password based encryption algorithms. The enc argument specifies the encryption algorithm to use: unlike all other PEM routines, the encryption is applied at the PKCS#8 level and not in the PEM headers. If enc is NULL, then no encryption is used and a PKCS#8 PrivateKeyInfo structure is used instead. 🔐

PEM_write_bio_PKCS8PrivateKey_nid() and PEM_write_PKCS8PrivateKey_nid() also write out a private key as a PKCS#8 EncryptedPrivateKeyInfo. However, they use PKCS#5 v1.5 or PKCS#12 encryption algorithms instead. The algorithm to use is specified in the nid parameter and should be the NID of the corresponding OBJECT IDENTIFIER. Okay periodt. 🎀

The PKCS8 functions process an encrypted private key using an X509_SIG structure and the d2i_X509_SIG(3) function.

The PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO functions process a private key using a PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO structure.

The PUBKEY functions process a public key using an EVP_PKEY structure. The public key is encoded as an ASN.1 SubjectPublicKeyInfo structure.

  • RSAPrivateKey — processes an RSA private key using an RSA structure. They handle the same formats as the PrivateKey functions, but an error occurs if the private key is not RSA. 💀
  • RSAPublicKey — processes an RSA public key using an RSA structure. The public key is encoded using a PKCS#1 RSAPublicKey structure.
  • RSA_PUBKEY — also processes an RSA public key using an RSA structure. However, the public key is encoded using an ASN.1 SubjectPublicKeyInfo structure and an error occurs if the public key is not RSA.
  • DSAPrivateKey — processes a DSA private key using a DSA structure. They handle the same formats as the PrivateKey functions but an error occurs if the private key is not DSA.
  • DSA_PUBKEY — processes a DSA public key using a DSA structure. The public key is encoded using an ASN.1 SubjectPublicKeyInfo structure and an error occurs if the public key is not DSA.
  • DSAparams — processes DSA parameters using a DSA structure. The parameters are encoded using a Dss-Parms structure as defined in RFC 2459.
  • DHparams — processes DH parameters using a DH structure. The parameters are encoded using a PKCS#3 DHparameter structure.
  • ECPKParameters — processes EC parameters using an EC_GROUP structure and the d2i_ECPKParameters(3) function.
  • ECPrivateKey — processes an EC private key using an EC_KEY structure.
  • EC_PUBKEY — processes an EC public key using an EC_KEY structure.
  • X509 — processes an X509 certificate using an X509 structure. They will also process a trusted X509 certificate but any trust settings are discarded. 🙈
  • X509_AUX — processes a trusted X509 certificate using an X509 structure.
  • X509_REQ and X509_REQ_NEW — process a PKCS#10 certificate request using an X509_REQ structure. The X509_REQ write functions use CERTIFICATE REQUEST in the header whereas the X509_REQ_NEW functions use NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST (as required by some CAs). The X509_REQ read functions will handle either form so there are no X509_REQ_NEW read functions.
  • X509_CRL — processes an X509 CRL using an X509_CRL structure.
  • PKCS7 — processes a PKCS#7 ContentInfo using a PKCS7 structure.
  • CMS — processes a CMS_ContentInfo structure.
👑 security glow-up: the old PrivateKey write routines are retained for compatibility. New applications should write private keys using the PEM_write_bio_PKCS8PrivateKey() or PEM_write_PKCS8PrivateKey() routines because they are more secure (they use an iteration count of 2048 whereas the traditional routines use a count of 1) unless compatibility with older versions of OpenSSL is important.

The PrivateKey read routines can be used in all applications because they handle all formats transparently. No cap. ✨

🧚 PEM function arguments 🧚

The PEM functions have many common arguments. Bestie, there’s lore here. 😭

The bp parameter specifies the BIO to read from or write to.

The fp parameter specifies the FILE pointer to read from or write to.

The PEM read functions all take a pointer to pointer argument x and return a pointer of the same type. If x is NULL, then the parameter is ignored. If x is not NULL but *x is NULL, then the structure returned will be written to *x. If neither x nor *x are NULL, then an attempt is made to reuse the structure at *x, but see the “BUGS” and “EXAMPLES” sections. Irrespective of the value of x, a pointer to the structure is always returned, or NULL if an error occurred.

The PEM functions which write private keys take an enc parameter, which specifies the encryption algorithm to use. Encryption is done at the PEM level. If this parameter is set to NULL, then the private key is written in unencrypted form. 🔓

The optional arguments u and cb are a passphrase used for encrypting a PEM structure or a callback to obtain the passphrase; see pem_password_cb(3) for details.

For the PEM write routines, if the kstr parameter is not NULL, then klen bytes at kstr are used as the passphrase and cb is ignored.

🔐 PEM encryption format 🔐

These old PrivateKey routines use a non-standard technique for encryption. It’s giving vintage, but make it cryptographic. 🕰️

The private key (or other data) takes the following form:

-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
Proc-Type: 4,ENCRYPTED
DEK-Info: DES-EDE3-CBC,3F17F5316E2BAC89

...base64 encoded data...
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----

The line beginning with “DEK-Info” contains two comma separated pieces of information: the encryption algorithm name as used by EVP_get_cipherbyname(3) and an 8-byte salt encoded as a set of hexadecimal digits. 🧂

After this is the base64-encoded encrypted data.

The encryption key is determined using EVP_BytesToKey(3), using the salt and an iteration count of 1. The IV used is the value of the salt and not the IV returned by EVP_BytesToKey(3). Let that sink in — it’s literally the salt, not the returned IV. 💀

💖 RETURN VALUES 💖

The read routines return either a pointer to the structure read or NULL if an error occurred.

The write routines return 1 for success or 0 for failure.

🌸 EXAMPLES 🌸

Although the PEM routines take several arguments, in almost all applications most of them are set to 0 or NULL. Very demure, very mindful. 🎀

Read a certificate in PEM format from a BIO:

X509 *x;
x = PEM_read_bio_X509(bp, NULL, 0, NULL);
if (x == NULL) {
        /* Error */
}

Alternative method:

X509 *x = NULL;
if (!PEM_read_bio_X509(bp, &x, 0, NULL)) {
        /* Error */
}

Write a certificate to a BIO:

if (!PEM_write_bio_X509(bp, x)) {
        /* Error */
}

Write an unencrypted private key to a FILE:

if (!PEM_write_PrivateKey(fp, key, NULL, NULL, 0, 0, NULL)) {
        /* Error */
}

Write a private key (using traditional format) to a BIO using triple DES encryption; the pass phrase is prompted for:

if (!PEM_write_bio_PrivateKey(bp, key, EVP_des_ede3_cbc(),
    NULL, 0, 0, NULL)) {
        /* Error */
}

Write a private key (using PKCS#8 format) to a BIO using triple DES encryption, using the pass phrase "hello":

if (!PEM_write_bio_PKCS8PrivateKey(bp, key, EVP_des_ede3_cbc(),
    NULL, 0, 0, "hello")) {
        /* Error */
}

Read a private key from a BIO using the pass phrase "hello":

key = PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey(bp, NULL, 0, "hello");
if (key == NULL) {
        /* Error */
}

Read a private key from a BIO using a pass phrase callback:

key = PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey(bp, NULL, pass_cb, "My Private Key");
if (key == NULL) {
        /* Error */
}

Skeleton pass phrase callback:

int
pass_cb(char *buf, int size, int rwflag, void *u)
{
        char    *tmp;
        size_t   len;

        /* We'd probably do something else if 'rwflag' is 1 */
        printf("Enter pass phrase for \"%s\"\n", u);

        /*
         * Instead of the following line, get the passphrase
         * from the user in some way.
         */
        tmp = "hello";
        if (tmp == NULL) /* An error occurred. */
                return -1;

        len = strlen(tmp);
        if (len == 0) /* Treat an empty passphrase as an error, too. */
                return -1;

        /* if too long, truncate */
        if (len > size)
                len = size;
        memcpy(buf, tmp, len);
        return len;
}

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

Go give these a read, bestie — they’re all linked in the lore:

✨ HISTORY ✨

okay so grab a snack bestie, because this is the lore drop of the century 🫶 — these functions are ancient, like, they have seen things 💀

  • PEM_read_X509() and PEM_write_X509() showed up in SSLeay 0.4 or earlier. literally prehistoric 👑
  • PEM_read_X509_REQ(), PEM_write_X509_REQ(), PEM_read_X509_CRL(), and PEM_write_X509_CRL() first appeared in SSLeay 0.4.4.
  • PEM_read_RSAPrivateKey(), PEM_write_RSAPrivateKey(), PEM_read_DHparams(), PEM_write_DHparams(), PEM_read_PKCS7(), and PEM_write_PKCS7() first appeared in SSLeay 0.5.1.
  • PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey(), PEM_read_PrivateKey(), PEM_read_bio_RSAPrivateKey(), PEM_write_bio_RSAPrivateKey(), PEM_read_bio_DSAPrivateKey(), PEM_read_DSAPrivateKey(), PEM_write_bio_DSAPrivateKey(), PEM_write_DSAPrivateKey(), PEM_read_bio_DHparams(), PEM_write_bio_DHparams(), PEM_read_bio_X509(), PEM_write_bio_X509(), PEM_read_bio_X509_REQ(), PEM_write_bio_X509_REQ(), PEM_read_bio_X509_CRL(), PEM_write_bio_X509_CRL(), PEM_read_bio_PKCS7(), and PEM_write_bio_PKCS7() first appeared in SSLeay 0.6.0.
  • PEM_write_bio_PrivateKey(), PEM_write_PrivateKey(), PEM_read_bio_DSAparams(), PEM_read_DSAparams(), PEM_write_bio_DSAparams(), and PEM_write_DSAparams() first appeared in SSLeay 0.8.0.
  • PEM_read_bio_RSAPublicKey(), PEM_read_RSAPublicKey(), PEM_write_bio_RSAPublicKey(), and PEM_write_RSAPublicKey() first appeared in SSLeay 0.8.1.

and get this — all of those functions have been available since OpenBSD 2.4. icons only, no notes 💅

then we got the next batch, and ngl this list is a meal 🍓 PEM_write_bio_PKCS8PrivateKey(), PEM_write_PKCS8PrivateKey(), PEM_read_bio_PKCS8(), PEM_read_PKCS8(), PEM_write_bio_PKCS8(), PEM_write_PKCS8(), PEM_read_bio_PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO(), PEM_read_PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO(), PEM_write_bio_PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO(), PEM_write_PKCS8_PRIV_KEY_INFO(),

PEM_write_bio_PKCS8PrivateKey_nid(), PEM_write_PKCS8PrivateKey_nid(), PEM_read_bio_PUBKEY(), PEM_read_PUBKEY(), PEM_write_bio_PUBKEY(), PEM_write_PUBKEY(), PEM_read_bio_RSA_PUBKEY(), PEM_read_RSA_PUBKEY(), PEM_write_bio_RSA_PUBKEY(), PEM_write_RSA_PUBKEY(), PEM_read_bio_DSA_PUBKEY(), PEM_read_DSA_PUBKEY(), PEM_write_bio_DSA_PUBKEY(), PEM_write_DSA_PUBKEY(), PEM_write_bio_X509_REQ_NEW(), PEM_write_X509_REQ_NEW(), PEM_read_bio_X509_AUX(), PEM_read_X509_AUX(), PEM_write_bio_X509_AUX(), and PEM_write_X509_AUX() — deep breath, bestie 😮‍💨 — all of those first appeared in OpenSSL 0.9.5 and have been available since OpenBSD 2.7.

next up, the elliptic curve girlies 🦋 PEM_read_bio_ECPKParameters(), PEM_read_ECPKParameters(), PEM_write_bio_ECPKParameters(), PEM_write_ECPKParameters(), PEM_read_bio_ECPrivateKey(), PEM_read_ECPrivateKey(), PEM_write_bio_ECPrivateKey(), PEM_write_ECPrivateKey(), PEM_read_bio_EC_PUBKEY(), PEM_read_EC_PUBKEY(), PEM_write_bio_EC_PUBKEY(), and PEM_write_EC_PUBKEY() first appeared in OpenSSL 0.9.8 and have been available since OpenBSD 4.5. slay 💜

and finally the CMS crew 🌈 PEM_read_CMS(), PEM_read_bio_CMS(), PEM_write_CMS(), and PEM_write_bio_CMS() first appeared in OpenSSL 0.9.8h and have been available since OpenBSD 6.7.

💀 CAVEATS 💀

okay this is the part where you listen to me bestie, because this is the number one way people fumble these routines 😭

a frequent cause of problems is attempting to use the PEM routines like this:

X509 *x;
PEM_read_bio_X509(bp, &x, 0, NULL);
🚨 this is a bug, babes. for real. an attempt will be made to reuse the data at x, and x is an uninitialised pointer. uninitialised. do not pass go, do not collect your certificate 💀

also, important vibe check: these functions make no assumption regarding the pass phrase received from the password callback. it will simply be treated as a byte sequence. that's it, that's the whole deal 🫶

🐛 BUGS 🐛

so, tea time ☕ — the PEM read routines in some versions of OpenSSL will not correctly reuse an existing structure. so like:

PEM_read_bio_X509(bp, &x, 0, NULL);

where x already contains a valid certificate... may not work 🙈 whereas

X509_free(x);
x = PEM_read_bio_X509(bp, NULL, 0, NULL);

is guaranteed to work. free it first, then let it cook 🔥 that's the move, trust 😌

and that's the whole page bestie, you made it to the end, I'm so proud 🥹💖 this one came from the Debian edition of the manual, dated September 2, 2024 — go off and read some PEM files responsibly, mwah 💅✨🎀

📦 where this page comes from