1OSSL_LIB_CTX(3ossl) OpenSSL OSSL_LIB_CTX(3ossl)
2
6 OSSL_LIB_CTX, OSSL_LIB_CTX_new, OSSL_LIB_CTX_new_from_dispatch,
7 OSSL_LIB_CTX_new_child, OSSL_LIB_CTX_free, OSSL_LIB_CTX_load_config,
8 OSSL_LIB_CTX_get0_global_default, OSSL_LIB_CTX_set0_default - OpenSSL
9 library context
10
12 #include <openssl/crypto.h>
13 typedef struct ossl_lib_ctx_st OSSL_LIB_CTX;
15 OSSL_LIB_CTX *OSSL_LIB_CTX_new(void);
17 OSSL_LIB_CTX *OSSL_LIB_CTX_new_from_dispatch(const OSSL_CORE_HANDLE *handle,
18 const OSSL_DISPATCH *in);
19 OSSL_LIB_CTX *OSSL_LIB_CTX_new_child(const OSSL_CORE_HANDLE *handle,
20 const OSSL_DISPATCH *in);
21 int OSSL_LIB_CTX_load_config(OSSL_LIB_CTX *ctx, const char *config_file);
22 void OSSL_LIB_CTX_free(OSSL_LIB_CTX *ctx);
23 OSSL_LIB_CTX *OSSL_LIB_CTX_get0_global_default(void);
24 OSSL_LIB_CTX *OSSL_LIB_CTX_set0_default(OSSL_LIB_CTX *ctx);
25
27 OSSL_LIB_CTX is an internal OpenSSL library context type. Applications
28 may allocate their own, but may also use NULL to use a default context
29 with functions that take an OSSL_LIB_CTX argument.
30 When a non default library context is in use care should be taken with
32 multi-threaded applications to properly clean up thread local resources
33 before the OSSL_LIB_CTX is freed. See OPENSSL_thread_stop_ex(3) for
34 more information.
35 OSSL_LIB_CTX_new() creates a new OpenSSL library context.
37 OSSL_LIB_CTX_new_from_dispatch() creates a new OpenSSL library context
39 initialised to use callbacks from the OSSL_DISPATCH structure. This is
40 primarily useful for provider authors. The handle and dispatch
41 structure arguments passed should be the same ones as passed to a
42 provider's OSSL_provider_init function. Some OpenSSL functions, such as
43 BIO_new_from_core_bio(3), require the library context to be created in
44 this way in order to work.
45 OSSL_LIB_CTX_new_child() is only useful to provider authors and does
47 the same thing as OSSL_LIB_CTX_new_from_dispatch() except that it
48 additionally links the new library context to the application library
49 context. The new library context is a full library context in its own
50 right, but will have all the same providers available to it that are
51 available in the application library context (without having to reload
52 them). If the application loads or unloads providers from the
53 application library context then this will be automatically mirrored in
54 the child library context.
55 In addition providers that are not loaded in the parent library context
57 can be explicitly loaded into the child library context independently
58 from the parent library context. Providers loaded independently in this
59 way will not be mirrored in the parent library context and will not be
60 affected if the parent library context subsequently loads the same
61 provider.
62 A provider may call the function OSSL_PROVIDER_load(3) with the child
64 library context as required. If the provider already exists due to it
65 being mirrored from the parent library context then it will remain
66 available and its reference count will be increased. If
67 OSSL_PROVIDER_load(3) is called in this way then
68 OSSL_PROVIDER_unload(3) should be subsequently called to decrement the
69 reference count. OSSL_PROVIDER_unload(3) must not be called for a
70 provider in the child library context that did not have an earlier
71 OSSL_PROVIDER_load(3) call for that provider in that child library
72 context.
73 In addition to providers, a child library context will also mirror the
75 default properties (set via EVP_set_default_properties(3)) from the
76 parent library context. If EVP_set_default_properties(3) is called
77 directly on a child library context then the new properties will
78 override anything from the parent library context and mirroring of the
79 properties will stop.
80 When OSSL_LIB_CTX_new_child() is called from within the scope of a
82 provider's OSSL_provider_init function the currently initialising
83 provider is not yet available in the application's library context and
84 therefore will similarly not yet be available in the newly constructed
85 child library context. As soon as the OSSL_provider_init function
86 returns then the new provider is available in the application's library
87 context and will be similarly mirrored in the child library context.
88 OSSL_LIB_CTX_load_config() loads a configuration file using the given
90 ctx. This can be used to associate a library context with providers
91 that are loaded from a configuration.
92 OSSL_LIB_CTX_free() frees the given ctx, unless it happens to be the
94 default OpenSSL library context.
95 OSSL_LIB_CTX_get0_global_default() returns a concrete (non NULL)
97 reference to the global default library context.
98 OSSL_LIB_CTX_set0_default() sets the default OpenSSL library context to
100 be ctx in the current thread. The previous default library context is
101 returned. Care should be taken by the caller to restore the previous
102 default library context with a subsequent call of this function. If ctx
103 is NULL then no change is made to the default library context, but a
104 pointer to the current library context is still returned. On a
105 successful call of this function the returned value will always be a
106 concrete (non NULL) library context.
107 Care should be taken when changing the default library context and
109 starting async jobs (see ASYNC_start_job(3)), as the default library
110 context when the job is started will be used throughout the lifetime of
111 an async job, no matter how the calling thread makes further default
112 library context changes in the mean time. This means that the calling
113 thread must not free the library context that was the default at the
114 start of the async job before that job has finished.
115
117 OSSL_LIB_CTX_new(), OSSL_LIB_CTX_get0_global_default() and
118 OSSL_LIB_CTX_set0_default() return a library context pointer on
119 success, or NULL on error.
120 OSSL_LIB_CTX_free() doesn't return any value.
122 OSSL_LIB_CTX_load_config() returns 1 on success, 0 on error.
124
126 All of the functions described on this page were added in OpenSSL 3.0.
127
129 Copyright 2019-2022 The OpenSSL Project Authors. All Rights Reserved.
130 Licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (the "License"). You may not use
132 this file except in compliance with the License. You can obtain a copy
133 in the file LICENSE in the source distribution or at
134 <https://www.openssl.org/source/license.html>.
1353.1.1 2023-08-31 OSSL_LIB_CTX(3ossl)