TS_VERIFY_CTX(3SSL)

📦

version 4.0.3 · 6 versions

✨ NAME ✨

okay so bestie, welcome to the TS_VERIFY_CTX family 💖 — this whole crew is about managing the TS response verification context, and the squad is, in order:

TS_VERIFY_CTX, TS_VERIFY_CTX_new, TS_VERIFY_CTX_init, TS_VERIFY_CTX_free, TS_VERIFY_CTX_cleanup, TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_flags, TS_VERIFY_CTX_add_flags, TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_data, TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_imprint, TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_store, TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_certs, TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_certs, TS_VERIFY_CTS_set_certs, TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_data, TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_imprint, TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_store

yes the names are giving ✨committee meeting✨ but that's the OpenSSL 3SSL manual life, we move 🫶

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <openssl/ts.h>

typedef struct TS_verify_ctx TS_VERIFY_CTX;

TS_VERIFY_CTX *TS_VERIFY_CTX_new(void);
void TS_VERIFY_CTX_init(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx);
void TS_VERIFY_CTX_free(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx);
void TS_VERIFY_CTX_cleanup(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx);
int TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_flags(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx, int f);
int TS_VERIFY_CTX_add_flags(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx, int f);
int TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_data(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx, BIO *b);
int TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_imprint(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx,
                               unsigned char *hexstr, long len);
int TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_store(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx, X509_STORE *s);
int TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_certs(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx, STACK_OF(X509) *certs);

The following functions have been deprecated since OpenSSL 3.4:

BIO *TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_data(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx, BIO *b);
unsigned char *TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_imprint(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx,
                                         unsigned char *hexstr, long len);
X509_STORE *TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_store(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx, X509_STORE *s);
STACK_OF(X509) *TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_certs(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx,
                                        STACK_OF(X509) *certs);

The following function has been deprecated since OpenSSL 3.0:

STACK_OF(X509) *TS_VERIFY_CTS_set_certs(TS_VERIFY_CTX *ctx,
                                        STACK_OF(X509) *certs);

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So, the Time-Stamp Protocol (TSP) is defined by RFC 3161. TSP is a protocol used to provide long-term proof of the existence of certain data before a particular time. TSP defines a Time Stamping Authority (TSA) and an entity that makes requests to the TSA. Usually, the TSA is referred to as the server side, and the requesting entity is referred to as the client. it's giving very much "prove you were there" energy 👑

In TSP, when a server sends a response to a client, the server normally needs to sign the response data — the TimeStampToken (TST) — with its private key. Then the client verifies the received TST using the server's certificate chain. like a little handshake with receipts 🔥

🫶 heads up bestie: for all the following methods, unless noted otherwise, ctx is the verification context created in advance.

TS_VERIFY_CTX_new() — returns an allocated TS_VERIFY_CTX structure. fresh out the box, brand new 💅
TS_VERIFY_CTX_init() — initializes a verification context.
TS_VERIFY_CTX_free() — frees up a TS_VERIFY_CTX object. ctx is the verification context to be freed. If ctx is NULL, the call is ignored. no crash, no drama, we simply do not engage 🙈
TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_flags() — sets the flags in the verification context. f are the flags to be set.
TS_VERIFY_CTX_add_flags() — adds flags to the verification context. f are the flags to be added (OR'd).
TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_data() — sets the data to be verified. b is the BIO with the data. A previously assigned BIO is freed. the set0 naming literally means it takes ownership, periodt.
TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_imprint() — sets the message imprint. hexstr is the message imprint to be assigned. A previously assigned imprint is freed.
TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_store() — sets the store for the verification context. s is the store to be assigned. A previously assigned store is freed.
TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_certs() — is used to set the server's certificate chain when verifying a TST. certs is a stack of X509 certificates.
TS_VERIFY_CTX_cleanup() — frees all data associated with the given TS_VERIFY_CTX object and initializes it. ctx is the verification context created in advance. If ctx is NULL, the call is ignored.

💀 the deprecated era (all of the following, bestie) 💀

All of the following functions described are deprecated. Applications should instead use the functions TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_data(3), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_imprint(3), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_store(3), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_certs(3). glow up, use the set0 ones ✨

TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_data() — is used to set the BIO with the data to be verified. A previously assigned BIO is not freed by this call. b is the BIO with the data to assign.
TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_imprint() — is used to set the message imprint. A previously assigned imprint is freed by this call. hexstr is the string with the message imprint to assign.
TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_store() — is used to set the certificate store. A previously assigned store is not freed by this call. s is the store to assign.
TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_certs() — is used to set the server's certificate chain. A previously assigned stack is not freed by this call. certs is a stack of X509 certificates.
TS_VERIFY_CTS_set_certs() — is a misspelled version of TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_certs() which takes the same parameters and returns the same result. yes bestie, a typo that got shipped. iconic behavior honestly 💀

🎀 RETURN VALUES 🎀

TS_VERIFY_CTX_new() — returns an allocated TS_VERIFY_CTX structure.
TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_flags() — returns the flags passed via parameter f.
TS_VERIFY_CTX_add_flags() — returns the flags of the context after the ones passed via parameter f are added to it.
TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_data(), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_imprint(), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_store(), and TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_certs() — return 1 if the value could be successfully set and 0 in case of any error. slay or flop, no in between 💅
The deprecated functions TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_data(), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_imprint(), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_store(), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_certs() — return the parameter the user passes via parameter bio, hexstr, s or certs.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

OSSL_ESS_check_signing_certs(3) — go read it, bestie, it's the sibling 🫶

💜 HISTORY 💜

TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_data(), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_imprint(), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_store(), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set0_certs() replace the functions TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_data(), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_imprint(), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_store(), TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_certs() that were deprecated in OpenSSL 3.4.0.
The spelling of TS_VERIFY_CTX_set_certs() was corrected in OpenSSL 3.0.0. The misspelled version TS_VERIFY_CTS_set_certs() has been retained for compatibility reasons, but it is deprecated in OpenSSL 3.0.0.

👑 COPYRIGHT 👑

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 the whole page bestie, no cap 🫶 this was the OpenSSL 4.0.3 manual, dated 2026-09-29 — the TS_VERIFY_CTX(3SSL) one. go verify some timestamps, you've got this ✨💖🎀🦋

📦 where this page comes from

ubuntu stonking: libssl-doc 4.0.3-1ubuntu1 · Apache-2.0
💖 girlified by deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash on 2026-11-03: a language model's rewrite of the original, under its terms