OSSL_STORE(7SSL)

✨ OSSL_STORE 💖 — the store retrieval functions, bestie

okay so this is the man page for OSSL_STORE(7SSL) from OpenSSL, and it's literally the ✨vibes✨ page for pulling objects out of, like, anywhere. sit down, hydrate, let's get into it 🫶

---

🌸 NAME 🌸

ossl_store — Store retrieval functions. that's it, that's the whole name, no notes 💅

---

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

#include <openssl/store.h>

that's the only include you need to start your journey, no cap 🦋

---

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

🌈 General 🌈

so a STORE is a whole layer of functionality — like a whole system, main character energy — whose job is to retrieve a bunch of supported objects out of a repository of any kind. and by "any kind" we mean it's addressable as a filename or as a URI. flexible queen 😌✨

the way it works is this lil pattern, and it's giving:

1. open a channel to the repository 👑
2. loop and retrieve one object at a time 🔁
3. finish up by closing the channel 🎬

the objects you get back are handed to you as a wrapper type called OSSL_STORE_INFO, and from that you can retrieve an actual OpenSSL type. so it's like a lil gift box, and inside the gift box is the thing you actually wanted 🎁

🧚 URI schemes and loaders 🧚

support for a URI scheme is called a STORE "loader", okay? and the slay part is that loaders can be added dynamically — either from the calling application or from a loadable provider. so the lineup is not fixed, it grows 💅

support for the 'file' scheme is built into "libcrypto". yes, built in, no extra steps. and if you wanna read more on that one, go check ossl_store-file(7). 🍓

🔥 UI_METHOD and pass phrases 🔥

here's the tea: the OSS_STORE API does nothing to enforce any specific format or encoding on the pass phrase that the UI_METHOD provides. it's very hands-off, very "you do you". however — the pass phrase is expected to be UTF-8 encoded. that's the expectation.

and if you don't do UTF-8? the result of any other encoding is undefined. not "maybe weird", not "probably fine" — undefined. so like, just use UTF-8 bestie, it costs nothing 😭

---

⭐ EXAMPLES ⭐

💖 A generic call 💖

here's a whole generic call, come look, it's iconic:

#include <openssl/ui.h> /* for UI_get_default_method */
#include <openssl/store.h>

OSSL_STORE_CTX *ctx = OSSL_STORE_open("file:/foo/bar/data.pem",
                       UI_get_default_method(), NULL, NULL, NULL);

/*
 * OSSL_STORE_eof() simulates file semantics for any repository to signal
 * that no more data can be expected
 */
while (!OSSL_STORE_eof(ctx)) {
    OSSL_STORE_INFO *info = OSSL_STORE_load(ctx);

    /*
     * Do whatever is necessary with the OSSL_STORE_INFO,
     * here just one example
     */
    switch (OSSL_STORE_INFO_get_type(info)) {
    case OSSL_STORE_INFO_CERT:
        /* Print the X.509 certificate text */
        X509_print_fp(stdout, OSSL_STORE_INFO_get0_CERT(info));
        /* Print the X.509 certificate PEM output */
        PEM_write_X509(stdout, OSSL_STORE_INFO_get0_CERT(info));
        break;
    }
    OSSL_STORE_INFO_free(info);
}

OSSL_STORE_close(ctx);

okay notice how clean that is: you open, you loop until OSSL_STORE_eof() says we're done, you grab each OSSL_STORE_INFO, you do the thing, you free the info, and then you OSSL_STORE_close() like a responsible queen. periodt 🔥

---

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

• OSSL_STORE_INFO(3)
• OSSL_STORE_LOADER(3)
• OSSL_STORE_open(3)
• OSSL_STORE_expect(3)
• OSSL_STORE_SEARCH(3)

go read them, they're the supporting cast and they ate 💅✨

---

👑 COPYRIGHT 👑

Copyright 2016-2024 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 one's from OpenSSL version 4.0.3, dated 2026-09-29 — mwah, take care of her, she's doing her best 🎀💖✨🫶