X509_NAME_ENTRY_GET_OBJECT(3SSL)

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version 4.0.3 · 14 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💖 X509_NAME_ENTRY_GET_OBJECT 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the OpenSSL manual, volume 3SSL — yes we're doing crypto-manpage storytime and honestly? it's giving ✨important✨. this whole page is about the little utility functions that poke at X509_NAME_ENTRY structs — the lil "field name + field value" pairs that make up a name in a certificate. think of them like the contact-card entries of the internet's identity system 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

X509_NAME_ENTRY_get_object, X509_NAME_ENTRY_get_data, X509_NAME_ENTRY_set_object, X509_NAME_ENTRY_set_data, X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_txt, X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_NID, X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_OBJ — these are the X509_NAME_ENTRY utility functions, no cap 💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <openssl/x509.h>

const ASN1_OBJECT *X509_NAME_ENTRY_get_object(const X509_NAME_ENTRY *ne);
const ASN1_STRING *X509_NAME_ENTRY_get_data(const X509_NAME_ENTRY *ne);

int X509_NAME_ENTRY_set_object(X509_NAME_ENTRY *ne, const ASN1_OBJECT *obj);
int X509_NAME_ENTRY_set_data(X509_NAME_ENTRY *ne, int type,
                             const unsigned char *bytes, int len);

X509_NAME_ENTRY *X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_txt(X509_NAME_ENTRY **ne, const char *field,
                                               int type, const unsigned char *bytes,
                                               int len);
X509_NAME_ENTRY *X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_NID(X509_NAME_ENTRY **ne, int nid,
                                               int type, const unsigned char *bytes,
                                               int len);
X509_NAME_ENTRY *X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_OBJ(X509_NAME_ENTRY **ne,
                                               const ASN1_OBJECT *obj, int type,
                                               const unsigned char *bytes, int len);

like look at all these signatures, they're literally all right there, slay 🫶

💫 DESCRIPTION 💫

okay so, function by function, let's get into it:

  • X509_NAME_ENTRY_get_object() — this one retrieves the field name of ne, and it hands it back to you inside an ASN1_OBJECT structure. it's giving "who dis" but for a name entry 💖
  • X509_NAME_ENTRY_get_data() — this one retrieves the field value of ne, returned inside an ASN1_STRING structure. it's the actual content bestie, the "what" next to the "who" 🌸
  • X509_NAME_ENTRY_set_object() — sets the field name of ne to obj. assigning, not reading, periodt 👑
  • X509_NAME_ENTRY_set_data() — sets the field value of ne to string type type and a value determined by bytes and len. you bring the type, you bring the bytes, you bring the length, it does the thing ✨
  • X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_txt(), X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_NID() and X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_OBJ() — these three create and return an X509_NAME_ENTRY structure. brand new entry, freshly built, main character energy 💅

📝 NOTES 📝

  • X509_NAME_ENTRY_get_object() and X509_NAME_ENTRY_get_data() are your go-to for examining an X509_NAME_ENTRY — like, one that came back from X509_NAME_get_entry() for example. lowkey the introvert functions: they just look, they don't touch 🙈
  • X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_txt(), X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_OBJ(), X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_NID() and X509_NAME_ENTRY_set_data() are seldom used in practice. why? because X509_NAME_ENTRY structures are almost always part of bigger X509_NAME structures, and the matching X509_NAME functions usually handle creating and adding new entries in a single operation. so like, these are the solo-career functions, but almost everyone joins the group project instead 🧚
  • the arguments of these functions support similar options to the similarly named ones of the corresponding X509_NAME functions, such as X509_NAME_add_entry_by_txt(). so for example type can be set to MBSTRING_ASC — but in the case of X509_set_data() the field name must be set first, so the relevant field information can be looked up internally. order matters, bestie, do not skip steps 😭

🎀 RETURN VALUES 🎀

  • X509_NAME_ENTRY_get_object() returns an internal pointer to a valid ASN1_OBJECT structure if it is set, or NULL if an error occurred. ✨
  • X509_NAME_ENTRY_get_data() returns an internal pointer to a valid ASN1_STRING structure if it is set, or NULL if an error occurred. ✨
  • X509_NAME_ENTRY_set_object() and X509_NAME_ENTRY_set_data() return 1 on success or 0 on error. the classic 1-or-0, iconic, no notes 💅
  • X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_txt(), X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_NID() and X509_NAME_ENTRY_create_by_OBJ() return a valid X509_NAME_ENTRY on success or NULL if an error occurred. 🔥
bestie reminder: NULL means something went wrong, it is NOT a vibe, go check your errors 👀

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

Copyright 2002-2026 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> — fr fr, read the license, it's the rules 🌈

and that's the whole page, bestie!! this was X509_NAME_ENTRY_GET_OBJECT(3SSL) from OpenSSL version 4.0.3, dated 2026-09-29. go forth and manipulate name entries responsibly, ily 💜🦋⭐

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