OSSL_PROVIDER-DEFAULT(7ossl)

📦
version 15.1 · 3 versions
, in freebsd 15.1

💅 OSSL_PROVIDER-default — the OpenSSL default provider, explained

okay so bestie, welcome to the OSSL_PROVIDER-default(7ossl) page 💖 this is the manual page for the OpenSSL default provider, and it's genuinely the main character of the provider universe. let's get into it ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

OSSL_PROVIDER-default — the OpenSSL default provider, aka the one carrying basically everything 🎀

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

The OpenSSL default provider supplies the majority of OpenSSL's diverse algorithm implementations. It's the workhorse, the backbone, the one doing the most. 👑

If an application doesn't specify anything else explicitly (like, in the application itself or via config), then this is the provider that gets used as the fallback. The way it works: it's loaded automatically the first time that an algorithm is fetched from a provider, or a function acting on providers is called — and no other provider has been loaded yet. Automatic, no cap. 🦋

⚠️ important caveat, bestie, listen up: if an attempt to load a provider has already been made — whether it succeeded or not — then the default provider won't be loaded automatically. So if you want the default provider hanging out with other providers, you have to load it explicitly. Periodt.

Also: automatic loading of the default provider only happens a maximum of once. If the default provider is explicitly unloaded, it will not be automatically loaded again. One shot, that's it 💀

🔍 Properties

The implementations in this provider specifically have this property defined:

"provider=default"

It may be used in a property query string with fetching functions such as EVP_MD_fetch(3) or EVP_CIPHER_fetch(3), as well as with other functions that take a property query string, like EVP_PKEY_CTX_new_from_name(3). 🫶

It isn't mandatory to query for this property — except to make sure you get implementations of this provider and none other. iykyk.

Some implementations may define additional properties. Exact information is listed below 👇

👑 OPERATIONS AND ALGORITHMS 👑

The OpenSSL default provider supports these operations and algorithms:

🧚 Hashing Algorithms / Message Digests

🦋 Symmetric Ciphers

🎀 Message Authentication Code (MAC)

💜 Key Derivation Function (KDF)

🌈 Key Exchange

⭐ Asymmetric Signature

🔥 Asymmetric Cipher

🍓 Asymmetric Key Encapsulation

💖 Asymmetric Key Management

🎲 Random Number Generation

In addition to this provider, the "SEED-SRC" and "JITTER" algorithms are also available in the base provider. 🧚

🫶 Asymmetric Key Encoder

  • RSA
  • RSA-PSS
  • DH
  • DHX
  • DSA
  • EC
  • ED25519
  • ED448
  • X25519
  • X448
  • SM2
  • ML-DSA-44
  • ML-DSA-65
  • ML-DSA-87
  • ML-KEM-512
  • ML-KEM-768
  • ML-KEM-1024
  • SLH-DSA-SHA2-128s
  • SLH-DSA-SHA2-128f
  • SLH-DSA-SHA2-192s
  • SLH-DSA-SHA2-192f
  • SLH-DSA-SHA2-256s
  • SLH-DSA-SHA2-256f
  • SLH-DSA-SHAKE-128s
  • SLH-DSA-SHAKE-128f
  • SLH-DSA-SHAKE-192s
  • SLH-DSA-SHAKE-192f
  • SLH-DSA-SHAKE-256s
  • SLH-DSA-SHAKE-256f

In addition to this provider, all of these encoding algorithms are also available in the base provider. Some of these algorithms may be used in combination with the FIPS provider. 👀

🙈 Asymmetric Key Decoder

  • RSA
  • RSA-PSS
  • DH
  • DHX
  • DSA
  • EC
  • ED25519
  • ED448
  • X25519
  • X448
  • SM2
  • ML-DSA-44
  • ML-DSA-65
  • ML-DSA-87
  • ML-KEM-512
  • ML-KEM-768
  • ML-KEM-1024
  • SLH-DSA-SHA2-128s
  • SLH-DSA-SHA2-128f
  • SLH-DSA-SHA2-192s
  • SLH-DSA-SHA2-192f
  • SLH-DSA-SHA2-256s
  • SLH-DSA-SHA2-256f
  • SLH-DSA-SHAKE-128s
  • SLH-DSA-SHAKE-128f
  • SLH-DSA-SHAKE-192s
  • SLH-DSA-SHAKE-192f
  • SLH-DSA-SHAKE-256s
  • SLH-DSA-SHAKE-256f

In addition to this provider, all of these decoding algorithms are also available in the base provider. Some of these algorithms may be used in combination with the FIPS provider. 💫

💅 Stores

In addition to this provider, all of these store algorithms are also available in the base provider. 🌟

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

openssl-core.h(7), openssl-core_dispatch.h(7), provider(7), OSSL_PROVIDER-base(7)

go read those too bestie, they're literally linked for a reason 🫶

⭐ HISTORY ⭐

The RIPEMD160 digest was added to the default provider in OpenSSL 3.0.7.

All other functionality was added in OpenSSL 3.0. iconic behavior honestly 💅

Copyright 2020-2025 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 the whole page, bestie! this was version 3.5.6, dated 2026-04-07, and it's the OSSL_PROVIDER-DEFAULT(7ossl) page — mwah, go fetch some algorithms 💖✨🎀
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