Engines
=======

Deprecation Note
----------------

The ENGINE API was introduced in OpenSSL version 0.9.6 as a low level
interface for adding alternative implementations of cryptographic
primitives, most notably for integrating hardware crypto devices.

The ENGINE interface has its limitations and it has been superseded
by the [PROVIDER API](README-PROVIDERS.md), it is deprecated in OpenSSL
version 3.0. The following documentation is retained as an aid for
users who need to maintain or support existing ENGINE implementations.
Support for new hardware devices or new algorithms should be added
via providers, and existing engines should be converted to providers
as soon as possible.

Built-in ENGINE implementations
-------------------------------

There are currently built-in ENGINE implementations for the following
crypto devices:

- Microsoft CryptoAPI
- VIA Padlock
- nCipher CHIL

In addition, dynamic binding to external ENGINE implementations is now
provided by a special ENGINE called "dynamic". See the "DYNAMIC ENGINE"
section below for details.

At this stage, a number of things are still needed and are being worked on:

1. Integration of EVP support.
2. Configuration support.
3. Documentation!

Integration of EVP support
--------------------------

With respect to EVP, this relates to support for ciphers and digests in
the ENGINE model so that alternative implementations of existing
algorithms/modes (or previously unimplemented ones) can be provided by
ENGINE implementations.

Configuration support
---------------------

Configuration support currently exists in the ENGINE API itself, in the
form of "control commands". These allow an application to expose to the
user/admin the set of commands and parameter types a given ENGINE
implementation supports, and for an application to directly feed string
based input to those ENGINEs, in the form of name-value pairs. This is an
extensible way for ENGINEs to define their own "configuration" mechanisms
that are specific to a given ENGINE (eg. for a particular hardware
device) but that should be consistent across *all* OpenSSL-based
applications when they use that ENGINE. Work is in progress (or at least
in planning) for supporting these control commands from the CONF (or
NCONF) code so that applications using OpenSSL's existing configuration
file format can have ENGINE settings specified in much the same way.
Presently however, applications must use the ENGINE API itself to provide
such functionality. To see first hand the types of commands available
with the various compiled-in ENGINEs (see further down for dynamic
ENGINEs), use the "engine" openssl utility with full verbosity, i.e.:

    openssl engine -vvvv

Documentation
-------------

Documentation? Volunteers welcome! The source code is reasonably well
self-documenting, but some summaries and usage instructions are needed -
moreover, they are needed in the same POD format the existing OpenSSL
documentation is provided in. Any complete or incomplete contributions
would help make this happen.

STABILITY & BUG-REPORTS
=======================

What already exists is fairly stable as far as it has been tested, but
the test base has been a bit small most of the time. For the most part,
the vendors of the devices these ENGINEs support have contributed to the
development and/or testing of the implementations, and *usually* (with no
guarantees) have experience in using the ENGINE support to drive their
devices from common OpenSSL-based applications. Bugs and/or inexplicable
behaviour in using a specific ENGINE implementation should be sent to the
author of that implementation (if it is mentioned in the corresponding C
file), and in the case of implementations for commercial hardware
devices, also through whatever vendor support channels are available. If
none of this is possible, or the problem seems to be something about the
ENGINE API itself (ie. not necessarily specific to a particular ENGINE
implementation) then you should mail complete details to the relevant
OpenSSL mailing list. For a definition of "complete details", refer to
the OpenSSL "README" file. As for which list to send it to:

- openssl-users: if you are *using* the ENGINE abstraction, either in an
  pre-compiled application or in your own application code.

- openssl-dev: if you are discussing problems with OpenSSL source code.

USAGE
=====

The default "openssl" ENGINE is always chosen when performing crypto
operations unless you specify otherwise. You must actively tell the
openssl utility commands to use anything else through a new command line
switch called "-engine". Also, if you want to use the ENGINE support in
your own code to do something similar, you must likewise explicitly
select the ENGINE implementation you want.

Depending on the type of hardware, system, and configuration, "settings"
may need to be applied to an ENGINE for it to function as expected/hoped.
The recommended way of doing this is for the application to support
ENGINE "control commands" so that each ENGINE implementation can provide
whatever configuration primitives it might require and the application
can allow the user/admin (and thus the hardware vendor's support desk
also) to provide any such input directly to the ENGINE implementation.
This way, applications do not need to know anything specific to any
device, they only need to provide the means to carry such user/admin
input through to the ENGINE in question. Ie. this connects *you* (and
your helpdesk) to the specific ENGINE implementation (and device), and
allows application authors to not get buried in hassle supporting
arbitrary devices they know (and care) nothing about.

A new "openssl" utility, "openssl engine", has been added in that allows
for testing and examination of ENGINE implementations. Basic usage
instructions are available by specifying the "-?" command line switch.

DYNAMIC ENGINES
===============

The new "dynamic" ENGINE provides a low-overhead way to support ENGINE
implementations that aren't pre-compiled and linked into OpenSSL-based
applications. This could be because existing compiled-in implementations
have known problems and you wish to use a newer version with an existing
application. It could equally be because the application (or OpenSSL
library) you are using simply doesn't have support for the ENGINE you
wish to use, and the ENGINE provider (eg. hardware vendor) is providing
you with a self-contained implementation in the form of a shared-library.
The other use-case for "dynamic" is with applications that wish to
maintain the smallest foot-print possible and so do not link in various
ENGINE implementations from OpenSSL, but instead leaves you to provide
them, if you want them, in the form of "dynamic"-loadable
shared-libraries. It should be possible for hardware vendors to provide
their own shared-libraries to support arbitrary hardware to work with
applications based on OpenSSL 0.9.7 or later. If you're using an
application based on 0.9.7 (or later) and the support you desire is only
announced for versions later than the one you need, ask the vendor to
backport their ENGINE to the version you need.

How does "dynamic" work?
------------------------

The dynamic ENGINE has a special flag in its implementation such that
every time application code asks for the 'dynamic' ENGINE, it in fact
gets its own copy of it. As such, multi-threaded code (or code that
multiplexes multiple uses of 'dynamic' in a single application in any
way at all) does not get confused by 'dynamic' being used to do many
independent things. Other ENGINEs typically don't do this so there is
only ever 1 ENGINE structure of its type (and reference counts are used
to keep order). The dynamic ENGINE itself provides absolutely no
cryptographic functionality, and any attempt to "initialise" the ENGINE
automatically fails. All it does provide are a few "control commands"
that can be used to control how it will load an external ENGINE
implementation from a shared-library. To see these control commands,
use the command-line;

    openssl engine -vvvv dynamic

The "SO_PATH" control command should be used to identify the
shared-library that contains the ENGINE implementation, and "NO_VCHECK"
might possibly be useful if there is a minor version conflict and you
(or a vendor helpdesk) is convinced you can safely ignore it.
"ID" is probably only needed if a shared-library implements
multiple ENGINEs, but if you know the engine id you expect to be using,
it doesn't hurt to specify it (and this provides a sanity check if
nothing else). "LIST_ADD" is only required if you actually wish the
loaded ENGINE to be discoverable by application code later on using the
ENGINE's "id". For most applications, this isn't necessary - but some
application authors may have nifty reasons for using it. The "LOAD"
command is the only one that takes no parameters and is the command
that uses the settings from any previous commands to actually *load*
the shared-library ENGINE implementation. If this command succeeds, the
(copy of the) 'dynamic' ENGINE will magically morph into the ENGINE
that has been loaded from the shared-library. As such, any control
commands supported by the loaded ENGINE could then be executed as per
normal. For instance, if ENGINE "foo" is implemented in the shared-library
"libfoo.so" and it supports some special control command "CMD_FOO", the
following code would load and use it (NB: obviously this code has no
error checking);

    ENGINE *e = ENGINE_by_id("dynamic");
    ENGINE_ctrl_cmd_string(e, "SO_PATH", "/lib/libfoo.so", 0);
    ENGINE_ctrl_cmd_string(e, "ID", "foo", 0);
    ENGINE_ctrl_cmd_string(e, "LOAD", NULL, 0);
    ENGINE_ctrl_cmd_string(e, "CMD_FOO", "some input data", 0);

For testing, the "openssl engine" utility can be useful for this sort
of thing. For example the above code excerpt would achieve much the
same result as;

    openssl engine dynamic \
              -pre SO_PATH:/lib/libfoo.so \
              -pre ID:foo \
              -pre LOAD \
              -pre "CMD_FOO:some input data"

Or to simply see the list of commands supported by the "foo" ENGINE;

    openssl engine -vvvv dynamic \
              -pre SO_PATH:/lib/libfoo.so \
              -pre ID:foo \
              -pre LOAD

Applications that support the ENGINE API and more specifically, the
"control commands" mechanism, will provide some way for you to pass
such commands through to ENGINEs. As such, you would select "dynamic"
as the ENGINE to use, and the parameters/commands you pass would
control the *actual* ENGINE used. Each command is actually a name-value
pair and the value can sometimes be omitted (eg. the "LOAD" command).
Whilst the syntax demonstrated in "openssl engine" uses a colon to
separate the command name from the value, applications may provide
their own syntax for making that separation (eg. a win32 registry
key-value pair may be used by some applications). The reason for the
"-pre" syntax in the "openssl engine" utility is that some commands
might be issued to an ENGINE *after* it has been initialised for use.
Eg. if an ENGINE implementation requires a smart-card to be inserted
during initialisation (or a PIN to be typed, or whatever), there may be
a control command you can issue afterwards to "forget" the smart-card
so that additional initialisation is no longer possible. In
applications such as web-servers, where potentially volatile code may
run on the same host system, this may provide some arguable security
value. In such a case, the command would be passed to the ENGINE after
it has been initialised for use, and so the "-post" switch would be
used instead. Applications may provide a different syntax for
supporting this distinction, and some may simply not provide it at all
("-pre" is almost always what you're after, in reality).

How do I build a "dynamic" ENGINE?
----------------------------------

This question is trickier - currently OpenSSL bundles various ENGINE
implementations that are statically built in, and any application that
calls the "ENGINE_load_builtin_engines()" function will automatically
have all such ENGINEs available (and occupying memory). Applications
that don't call that function have no ENGINEs available like that and
would have to use "dynamic" to load any such ENGINE - but on the other
hand such applications would only have the memory footprint of any
ENGINEs explicitly loaded using user/admin provided control commands.
The main advantage of not statically linking ENGINEs and only using
"dynamic" for hardware support is that any installation using no
"external" ENGINE suffers no unnecessary memory footprint from unused
ENGINEs. Likewise, installations that do require an ENGINE incur the
overheads from only *that* ENGINE once it has been loaded.

Sounds good? Maybe, but currently building an ENGINE implementation as
a shared-library that can be loaded by "dynamic" isn't automated in
OpenSSL's build process. It can be done manually quite easily however.
Such a shared-library can either be built with any OpenSSL code it
needs statically linked in, or it can link dynamically against OpenSSL
if OpenSSL itself is built as a shared library. The instructions are
the same in each case, but in the former (statically linked any
dependencies on OpenSSL) you must ensure OpenSSL is built with
position-independent code ("PIC"). The default OpenSSL compilation may
already specify the relevant flags to do this, but you should consult
with your compiler documentation if you are in any doubt.

This example will show building the "atalla" ENGINE in the
crypto/engine/ directory as a shared-library for use via the "dynamic"
ENGINE.

1.  "cd" to the crypto/engine/ directory of a pre-compiled OpenSSL
    source tree.

2.  Recompile at least one source file so you can see all the compiler
    flags (and syntax) being used to build normally. Eg;

        touch hw_atalla.c ; make

    will rebuild "hw_atalla.o" using all such flags.

3.  Manually enter the same compilation line to compile the
    "hw_atalla.c" file but with the following two changes;

    - add "-DENGINE_DYNAMIC_SUPPORT" to the command line switches,
    - change the output file from "hw_atalla.o" to something new,
      eg. "tmp_atalla.o"

4.  Link "tmp_atalla.o" into a shared-library using the top-level
    OpenSSL libraries to resolve any dependencies. The syntax for doing
    this depends heavily on your system/compiler and is a nightmare
    known well to anyone who has worked with shared-library portability
    before. 'gcc' on Linux, for example, would use the following syntax;

        gcc -shared -o dyn_atalla.so tmp_atalla.o -L../.. -lcrypto

5.  Test your shared library using "openssl engine" as explained in the
    previous section. Eg. from the top-level directory, you might try

        apps/openssl engine -vvvv dynamic \
              -pre SO_PATH:./crypto/engine/dyn_atalla.so -pre LOAD

If the shared-library loads successfully, you will see both "-pre"
commands marked as "SUCCESS" and the list of control commands
displayed (because of "-vvvv") will be the control commands for the
*atalla* ENGINE (ie. *not* the 'dynamic' ENGINE). You can also add
the "-t" switch to the utility if you want it to try and initialise
the atalla ENGINE for use to test any possible hardware/driver issues.

PROBLEMS
========

It seems like the ENGINE part doesn't work too well with CryptoSwift on Win32.
A quick test done right before the release showed that trying "openssl speed
-engine cswift" generated errors. If the DSO gets enabled, an attempt is made
to write at memory address 0x00000002.

OpenSSL FIPS support
====================

This release of OpenSSL includes a cryptographic module that can be
FIPS validated. The module is implemented as an OpenSSL provider.
A provider is essentially a dynamically loadable module which implements
cryptographic algorithms, see the [README-PROVIDERS](README-PROVIDERS.md) file
for further details.

A cryptographic module is only FIPS validated after it has gone through the complex
FIPS 140 validation process. As this process takes a very long time, it is not
possible to validate every minor release of OpenSSL.
If you need a FIPS validated module then you must ONLY generate a FIPS provider
using OpenSSL versions that have valid FIPS certificates. A FIPS certificate
contains a link to a Security Policy, and you MUST follow the instructions
in the Security Policy in order to be FIPS compliant.
See <https://www.openssl.org/source/> for information related to OpenSSL
FIPS certificates and Security Policies.

Newer OpenSSL Releases that include security or bug fixes can be used to build
all other components (such as the core API's, TLS and the default, base and
legacy providers) without any restrictions, but the FIPS provider must be built
as specified in the Security Policy (normally with a different version of the
source code).

The OpenSSL FIPS provider is a shared library called `fips.so` (on Unix), or
resp. `fips.dll` (on Windows). The FIPS provider does not get built and
installed automatically. To enable it, you need to configure OpenSSL using
the `enable-fips` option.

Installing the FIPS provider
============================

In order to be FIPS compliant you must only use FIPS validated source code.
Refer to <https://www.openssl.org/source/> for information related to
which versions are FIPS validated. The instructions given below build OpenSSL
just using the FIPS validated source code.  Any FIPS validated version may be
used with any other openssl library.  Please see <https://www.openssl.org/source/>
To determine which FIPS validated library version may be appropriate for you.

If you want to use a validated FIPS provider, but also want to use the latest
OpenSSL release to build everything else, then refer to the next section.

The following is only a guide.
Please read the Security Policy for up to date installation instructions.

If the FIPS provider is enabled, it gets installed automatically during the
normal installation process. Simply follow the normal procedure (configure,
make, make test, make install) as described in the [INSTALL](INSTALL.md) file.

For example, on Unix the final command

    $ make install

effectively executes the following install targets

    $ make install_sw
    $ make install_ssldirs
    $ make install_docs
    $ make install_fips     # for `enable-fips` only

The `install_fips` make target can also be invoked explicitly to install
the FIPS provider independently, without installing the rest of OpenSSL.

The Installation of the FIPS provider consists of two steps. In the first step,
the shared library is copied to its installed location, which by default is

    /usr/local/lib/ossl-modules/fips.so                  on Unix, and
    C:\Program Files\OpenSSL\lib\ossl-modules\fips.dll   on Windows.

In the second step, the `openssl fipsinstall` command is executed, which completes
the installation by doing the following two things:

- Runs the FIPS module self tests
- Generates the so-called FIPS module configuration file containing information
  about the module such as the module checksum (and for OpenSSL 3.1.2 the
  self test status).

The FIPS module must have the self tests run, and the FIPS module config file
output generated on every machine that it is to be used on. For OpenSSL 3.1.2
you must not copy the FIPS module config file output data from one machine to another.

On Unix, the `openssl fipsinstall` command will be invoked as follows by default:

    $ openssl fipsinstall -out /usr/local/ssl/fipsmodule.cnf -module /usr/local/lib/ossl-modules/fips.so

If you configured OpenSSL to be installed to a different location, the paths will
vary accordingly. In the rare case that you need to install the fipsmodule.cnf
to a non-standard location, you can execute the `openssl fipsinstall` command manually.

Installing the FIPS provider and using it with the latest release
=================================================================

This normally requires you to download 2 copies of the OpenSSL source code.

Download and build a validated FIPS provider
--------------------------------------------

Refer to <https://www.openssl.org/source/> for information related to
which versions are FIPS validated. For this example we use OpenSSL 3.1.2.

    $ wget https://www.openssl.org/source/openssl-3.1.2.tar.gz
    $ tar -xf openssl-3.1.2.tar.gz
    $ cd openssl-3.1.2
    $ ./Configure enable-fips
    $ make
    $ cd ..

Download and build the latest release of OpenSSL
------------------------------------------------

We use OpenSSL 3.5.0 here, (but you could also use the latest 3.5.X)

    $ wget https://www.openssl.org/source/openssl-3.5.0.tar.gz
    $ tar -xf openssl-3.5.0.tar.gz
    $ cd openssl-3.5.0
    $ ./Configure enable-fips
    $ make

Use the OpenSSL FIPS provider for testing
-----------------------------------------

We do this by replacing the artifact for the OpenSSL 3.5.0 FIPS provider.
Note that the OpenSSL 3.5.0 FIPS provider has not been validated
so it must not be used for FIPS purposes.

    $ cp ../openssl-3.1.2/providers/fips.so providers/.
    $ cp ../openssl-3.1.2/providers/fipsmodule.cnf providers/.
    // Note that for OpenSSL 3.1.2 that the `fipsmodule.cnf` file should not
    // be copied across multiple machines if it contains an entry for
    // `install-status`. (Otherwise the self tests would be skipped).

    // Validate the output of the following to make sure we are using the
    // OpenSSL 3.1.2 FIPS provider
    $ ./util/wrap.pl -fips apps/openssl list -provider-path providers \
    -provider fips -providers

    // Now run the current tests using the OpenSSL 3.1.2 FIPS provider.
    $ make tests

Copy the FIPS provider artifacts (`fips.so` & `fipsmodule.cnf`) to known locations
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    $ cd ../openssl-3.1.2
    $ sudo make install_fips

Check that the correct FIPS provider is being used
--------------------------------------------------

    $ cd ../openssl-3.5.0
    $./util/wrap.pl -fips apps/openssl list -provider-path providers \
    -provider fips -providers

    // This should produce the following output
    Providers:
      base
        name: OpenSSL Base Provider
        version: 3.5.0
        status: active
      fips
        name: OpenSSL FIPS Provider
        version: 3.1.2
        status: active

Using the FIPS Module in applications
=====================================

Documentation about using the FIPS module is available on the [fips_module(7)]
manual page.

 [fips_module(7)]: https://www.openssl.org/docs/manmaster/man7/fips_module.html

Entropy Source
==============

The FIPS provider typically relies on an external entropy source,
specified during OpenSSL build configuration (default: `os`).  However, by
enabling the `enable-fips-jitter` option during configuration, an internal
jitter entropy source will be used instead.  Note that this will cause
the FIPS provider to operate in a non-compliant mode unless an entropy
assessment [ESV] and validation through the [CMVP] are additionally conducted.

Note that the `enable-fips-jitter` option is only available in OpenSSL
versions 3.5 and later.

 [CMVP]: https://csrc.nist.gov/projects/cryptographic-module-validation-program
 [ESV]: https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/cryptographic-module-validation-program/entropy-validations

3rd-Party Vendor Builds
=====================================

Some Vendors choose to patch/modify/build their own FIPS provider,
test it with a Security Laboratory and submit it under their own CMVP
certificate, instead of using OpenSSL Project submissions. When doing
so, FIPS provider should uniquely identify its own name and version
number. The build infrastructure allows to customize FIPS provider
build information via changes to strings in `VERSION.dat`.

Setting "PRE_RELEASE_TAG" (dashed suffix), "BUILD_METADATA" (plus
suffix), and "FIPS_VENDOR" allow to control reported FIPS provider
name and build version as required for CMVP submission.

Providers
=========

 - [Standard Providers](#standard-providers)
    - [The Default Provider](#the-default-provider)
    - [The Legacy Provider](#the-legacy-provider)
    - [The FIPS Provider](#the-fips-provider)
    - [The Base Provider](#the-base-provider)
    - [The Null Provider](#the-null-provider)
 - [Loading Providers](#loading-providers)

Standard Providers
==================

Providers are containers for algorithm implementations. Whenever a cryptographic
algorithm is used via the high level APIs a provider is selected. It is that
provider implementation that actually does the required work. There are five
providers distributed with OpenSSL. In the future, we expect third parties to
distribute their own providers which can be added to OpenSSL dynamically.
Documentation about writing providers is available on the [provider(7)]
manual page.

 [provider(7)]: https://www.openssl.org/docs/manmaster/man7/provider.html

The Default Provider
--------------------

The default provider collects together all of the standard built-in OpenSSL
algorithm implementations. If an application doesn't specify anything else
explicitly (e.g. in the application or via config), then this is the provider
that will be used. It is loaded automatically the first time that we try to
get an algorithm from a provider if no other provider has been loaded yet.
If another provider has already been loaded then it won't be loaded
automatically. Therefore, if you want to use it in conjunction with other
providers, then you must load it explicitly.

This is a "built-in" provider, which means that it is compiled and linked
into the libcrypto library and does not exist as a separate standalone module.

The Legacy Provider
-------------------

The legacy provider is a collection of legacy algorithms that are either no
longer in common use or considered insecure and strongly discouraged from use.
However, some applications may need to use these algorithms for backwards
compatibility reasons. This provider is **not** loaded by default.
This may mean that some applications upgrading from earlier versions of OpenSSL
may find that some algorithms are no longer available unless they load the
legacy provider explicitly.

Algorithms in the legacy provider include MD2, MD4, MDC2, RMD160, CAST5,
BF (Blowfish), IDEA, SEED, RC2, RC4, RC5 and DES (but not 3DES).

The FIPS Provider
-----------------

The FIPS provider contains a sub-set of the algorithm implementations available
from the default provider, consisting of algorithms conforming to FIPS standards.
It is intended that this provider will be FIPS140-2 validated.

In some cases, there may be minor behavioural differences between algorithm
implementations in this provider compared to the equivalent algorithm in the
default provider. This is typically in order to conform to FIPS standards.

The Base Provider
-----------------

The base provider contains a small sub-set of non-cryptographic algorithms
available in the default provider. For example, it contains algorithms to
serialize and deserialize keys to files. If you do not load the default
provider then you should always load this one instead (in particular, if
you are using the FIPS provider).

The Null Provider
-----------------

The null provider is "built-in" to libcrypto and contains no algorithm
implementations. In order to guarantee that the default provider is not
automatically loaded, the null provider can be loaded instead.

This can be useful if you are using non-default library contexts and want
to ensure that the default library context is never used unintentionally.

Loading Providers
=================

Providers to be loaded can be specified in the OpenSSL config file.
See the [config(5)] manual page for information about how to configure
providers via the config file, and how to automatically activate them.

 [config(5)]: https://www.openssl.org/docs/manmaster/man5/config.html

The following is a minimal config file example to load and activate both
the legacy and the default provider in the default library context.

    openssl_conf = openssl_init

    [openssl_init]
    providers = provider_sect

    [provider_sect]
    default = default_sect
    legacy = legacy_sect

    [default_sect]
    activate = 1

    [legacy_sect]
    activate = 1

It is also possible to load providers programmatically. For example you can
load the legacy provider into the default library context as shown below.
Note that once you have explicitly loaded a provider into the library context
the default provider will no longer be automatically loaded. Therefore you will
often also want to explicitly load the default provider, as is done here:

    #include <stdio.h>
    #include <stdlib.h>

    #include <openssl/provider.h>

    int main(void)
    {
        OSSL_PROVIDER *legacy;
        OSSL_PROVIDER *deflt;

        /* Load Multiple providers into the default (NULL) library context */
        legacy = OSSL_PROVIDER_load(NULL, "legacy");
        if (legacy == NULL) {
            printf("Failed to load Legacy provider\n");
            exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
        }
        deflt = OSSL_PROVIDER_load(NULL, "default");
        if (deflt == NULL) {
            printf("Failed to load Default provider\n");
            OSSL_PROVIDER_unload(legacy);
            exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
        }

        /* Rest of application */

        OSSL_PROVIDER_unload(legacy);
        OSSL_PROVIDER_unload(deflt);
        exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
    }

Using OpenSSL with QUIC
=======================

From OpenSSL 3.2, OpenSSL features support for making QUIC connections as a
client. Starting with OpenSSL 3.5, server-side QUIC support has also been added.

Users interested in using the new QUIC functionality are encouraged to look at
some of the following resources:

- The new [OpenSSL Guide], which provides introductory guides on the use of TLS,
  QUIC, and other OpenSSL functionality.
- The [OpenSSL Guide] incorporates various code samples. The complete source
  for these can be [found in the source tree under `demos/guide`](./demos/guide/).
- The [openssl-quic(7) manual page], which provides a basic reference overview
  of QUIC functionality and how use of QUIC differs from use of TLS with regard
  to our API.
- The [Demo-Driven Design (DDD)][DDD] demos, which demonstrate the use of QUIC
  using simple examples. These can be [found in the source tree under
  `doc/designs/ddd`].
- The [demo found in `demos/http3`], which provides an HTTP/3 client example
  using the nghttp3 HTTP/3 library.

FAQ
---

### Why would I want to use QUIC, and what functionality does QUIC offer relative to TLS or DTLS?

QUIC is a state-of-the-art secure transport protocol carried over UDP. It can
serve many of the use cases of SSL/TLS as well as those of DTLS.

QUIC delivers a number of advantages such as support for multiple streams of
communication; it is the basis for HTTP/3 [RFC 9114]; fast connection
initiation; and connection migration (enabling a connection to survive IP
address changes). For a more complete description of what QUIC is and its
advantages see the [QUIC Introduction] in the [OpenSSL Guide].

For a comprehensive overview of OpenSSL's QUIC implementation, see the
[openssl-quic(7) manual page].

### How can I use HTTP/3 with OpenSSL?

There are many HTTP/3 implementations in C available. The use of one such HTTP/3
library with OpenSSL QUIC is demonstrated via the [demo found in `demos/http3`].

### How can I use OpenSSL QUIC in my own application for a different protocol?

The [OpenSSL Guide] provides introductory examples for how to make use of
OpenSSL QUIC.

The [openssl-quic(7) manual page] and the [Demo-Driven Design (DDD)][DDD] demos
may also be helpful to illustrate the changes needed if you are trying to adapt
an existing application.

### How can I test QUIC using `openssl s_client`?

There is basic support for single-stream QUIC using `openssl s_client`:

```shell
$ openssl s_client -quic -alpn myalpn -connect host:port
```

In the above example replace `host` with the hostname of the server (e.g.
`www.example.com`) and `port` with the port for the server (e.g. `443`). Replace
`myalpn` with the Application Layer Protocol to use (e.g.`h3` represents
HTTP/3). IANA maintains a standard list of [ALPN ids] that can be used.

This example connects to a QUIC server and opens a single bidirectional stream.
Data can be passed via stdin/stdout as usual. This allows test usage of QUIC
using simple TCP/TLS-like usage. Note that OpenSSL has no direct support for
HTTP/3 so connecting to an HTTP/3 server should be possible but sending an
HTTP/3 request or receiving any response data is not.

### How can I create a QUIC server with OpenSSL?

Starting with OpenSSL 3.5, you can create a QUIC server. OpenSSL provides a server
implementation example that you can use as a reference:

The example QUIC server implementation can be found in the source tree under
[`demos/quic/server`](./demos/quic/server/). This demonstrates how to implement a
basic QUIC server using the OpenSSL API.

To run the example QUIC server:

```shell
$ ./demos/quic/server/server <port-number> <certificate-file> <key-file>
```

For example:

```shell
$ ./demos/quic/server/server 4433 server.pem server.key
```

Replace `server.pem` and `server.key` with your certificate and private key files.
Note that the standard `openssl s_server` command does NOT support QUIC - you must
use this dedicated server example instead.

For more information about implementing QUIC servers with OpenSSL, refer to the
[OpenSSL Guide] and the [openssl-quic(7) manual page].

[openssl-quic(7) manual page]: https://www.openssl.org/docs/manmaster/man7/openssl-quic.html
[OpenSSL Guide]: https://www.openssl.org/docs/manmaster/man7/ossl-guide-introduction.html
[DDD]: https://github.com/openssl/openssl/tree/master/doc/designs/ddd
[found in the source tree under `doc/designs/ddd`]: ./doc/designs/ddd/
[demo found in `demos/http3`]: ./demos/http3/
[QUIC Introduction]: https://www.openssl.org/docs/manmaster/man7/ossl-guide-quic-introduction.html
[RFC 9114]: https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc9114
[ALPN ids]: https://www.iana.org/assignments/tls-extensiontype-values/tls-extensiontype-values.xhtml#alpn-protocol-ids

Welcome to the OpenSSL Project
==============================

[![openssl logo]][www.openssl.org]

[![github actions ci badge]][github actions ci]
![Nightly OS Zoo ci badge](https://github.com/openssl/openssl/actions/workflows/os-zoo.yml/badge.svg)
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OpenSSL is a robust, commercial-grade, full-featured Open Source Toolkit
for the TLS (formerly SSL), DTLS and QUIC protocols.

The protocol implementations are based on a full-strength general purpose
cryptographic library, which can also be used stand-alone. Also included is a
cryptographic module validated to conform with FIPS standards.

OpenSSL is descended from the SSLeay library developed by Eric A. Young
and Tim J. Hudson.

The official Home Page of the OpenSSL Project is [www.openssl.org].

Table of Contents
=================

 - [Overview](#overview)
 - [Download](#download)
 - [Build and Install](#build-and-install)
 - [Documentation](#documentation)
 - [License](#license)
 - [Support](#support)
 - [Contributing](#contributing)
 - [Legalities](#legalities)

Overview
========

The OpenSSL toolkit includes:

- **libssl**
  an implementation of all TLS protocol versions up to TLSv1.3 ([RFC 8446]),
  DTLS protocol versions up to DTLSv1.2 ([RFC 6347]) and
  the QUIC version 1 protocol ([RFC 9000]).

- **libcrypto**
  a full-strength general purpose cryptographic library. It constitutes the
  basis of the TLS implementation, but can also be used independently.

- **openssl**
  the OpenSSL command line tool, a swiss army knife for cryptographic tasks,
  testing and analyzing. It can be used for
  - creation of key parameters
  - creation of X.509 certificates, CSRs and CRLs
  - calculation of message digests
  - encryption and decryption
  - SSL/TLS/DTLS and client and server tests
  - QUIC client tests
  - handling of S/MIME signed or encrypted mail
  - and more...

Download
========

For Production Use
------------------

Source code tarballs of the official releases can be downloaded from
[openssl-library.org/source/](https://openssl-library.org/source/).
The OpenSSL project does not distribute the toolkit in binary form.

However, for a large variety of operating systems precompiled versions
of the OpenSSL toolkit are available. In particular, on Linux and other
Unix operating systems, it is normally recommended to link against the
precompiled shared libraries provided by the distributor or vendor.

We also maintain a list of third parties that produce OpenSSL binaries for
various Operating Systems (including Windows) on the [Binaries] page on our
wiki.

For Testing and Development
---------------------------

Although testing and development could in theory also be done using
the source tarballs, having a local copy of the git repository with
the entire project history gives you much more insight into the
code base.

The main OpenSSL Git repository is private.
There is a public GitHub mirror of it at [github.com/openssl/openssl],
which is updated automatically from the former on every commit.

A local copy of the Git repository can be obtained by cloning it from
the GitHub mirror using

    git clone https://github.com/openssl/openssl.git

If you intend to contribute to OpenSSL, either to fix bugs or contribute
new features, you need to fork the GitHub mirror and clone your public fork
instead.

    git clone https://github.com/yourname/openssl.git

This is necessary because all development of OpenSSL nowadays is done via
GitHub pull requests. For more details, see [Contributing](#contributing).

Build and Install
=================

After obtaining the Source, have a look at the [INSTALL](INSTALL.md) file for
detailed instructions about building and installing OpenSSL. For some
platforms, the installation instructions are amended by a platform specific
document.

 * [Notes for UNIX-like platforms](NOTES-UNIX.md)
 * [Notes for Android platforms](NOTES-ANDROID.md)
 * [Notes for Windows platforms](NOTES-WINDOWS.md)
 * [Notes for the DOS platform with DJGPP](NOTES-DJGPP.md)
 * [Notes for the OpenVMS platform](NOTES-VMS.md)
 * [Notes on Perl](NOTES-PERL.md)
 * [Notes on Valgrind](NOTES-VALGRIND.md)

Specific notes on upgrading to OpenSSL 3.x from previous versions can be found
in the [ossl-guide-migration(7ossl)] manual page.

Documentation
=============

README Files
------------

There are some README.md files in the top level of the source distribution
containing additional information on specific topics.

 * [Information about the OpenSSL QUIC protocol implementation](README-QUIC.md)
 * [Information about the OpenSSL Provider architecture](README-PROVIDERS.md)
 * [Information about using the OpenSSL FIPS validated module](README-FIPS.md)
 * [Information about the legacy OpenSSL Engine architecture](README-ENGINES.md)

The OpenSSL Guide
-----------------

There are some tutorial and introductory pages on some important OpenSSL topics
within the [OpenSSL Guide].

Manual Pages
------------

The manual pages for the master branch and all current stable releases are
available online.

- [OpenSSL master](https://www.openssl.org/docs/manmaster)
- [OpenSSL 3.0](https://www.openssl.org/docs/man3.0)
- [OpenSSL 3.1](https://www.openssl.org/docs/man3.1)
- [OpenSSL 3.2](https://www.openssl.org/docs/man3.2)

Demos
-----

There are numerous source code demos for using various OpenSSL capabilities in the
[demos subfolder](./demos).

Wiki
----

There is a [GitHub Wiki] which is currently not very active.

License
=======

OpenSSL is licensed under the Apache License 2.0, which means that
you are free to get and use it for commercial and non-commercial
purposes as long as you fulfill its conditions.

See the [LICENSE.txt](LICENSE.txt) file for more details.

Support
=======

There are various ways to get in touch. The correct channel depends on
your requirement. See the [SUPPORT](SUPPORT.md) file for more details.

Contributing
============

If you are interested and willing to contribute to the OpenSSL project,
please take a look at the [CONTRIBUTING](CONTRIBUTING.md) file.

Legalities
==========

A number of nations restrict the use or export of cryptography. If you are
potentially subject to such restrictions, you should seek legal advice before
attempting to develop or distribute cryptographic code.

Copyright
=========

Copyright (c) 1998-2025 The OpenSSL Project Authors

Copyright (c) 1995-1998 Eric A. Young, Tim J. Hudson

All rights reserved.

<!-- Links  -->

[www.openssl.org]:
    <https://www.openssl.org>
    "OpenSSL Homepage"

[github.com/openssl/openssl]:
    <https://github.com/openssl/openssl>
    "OpenSSL GitHub Mirror"

[GitHub Wiki]:
    <https://github.com/openssl/openssl/wiki>
    "OpenSSL Wiki"

[ossl-guide-migration(7ossl)]:
    <https://www.openssl.org/docs/manmaster/man7/ossl-guide-migration.html>
    "OpenSSL Migration Guide"

[RFC 8446]:
     <https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8446>

[RFC 6347]:
     <https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6347>

[RFC 9000]:
     <https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc9000>

[Binaries]:
    <https://github.com/openssl/openssl/wiki/Binaries>
    "List of third party OpenSSL binaries"

[OpenSSL Guide]:
    <https://www.openssl.org/docs/manmaster/man7/ossl-guide-introduction.html>
    "An introduction to OpenSSL"

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[openssl logo]:
    doc/images/openssl.svg
    "OpenSSL Logo"

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    "GitHub Actions CI Status"

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    "GitHub Actions CI"

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