trusty (3) OPENSSL_config.3ssl.gz

NAME

       OPENSSL_config, OPENSSL_no_config - simple OpenSSL configuration functions

SYNOPSIS

        #include <openssl/conf.h>

        void OPENSSL_config(const char *config_name);
        void OPENSSL_no_config(void);

DESCRIPTION

       OPENSSL_config() configures OpenSSL using the standard openssl.cnf configuration file name using
       config_name. If config_name is NULL then the default name openssl_conf will be used. Any errors are
       ignored. Further calls to OPENSSL_config() will have no effect. The configuration file format is
       documented in the conf(5) manual page.

       OPENSSL_no_config() disables configuration. If called before OPENSSL_config() no configuration takes
       place.

NOTES

       It is strongly recommended that all new applications call OPENSSL_config() or the more sophisticated
       functions such as CONF_modules_load() during initialization (that is before starting any threads). By
       doing this an application does not need to keep track of all configuration options and some new
       functionality can be supported automatically.

       It is also possible to automatically call OPENSSL_config() when an application calls
       OPENSSL_add_all_algorithms() by compiling an application with the preprocessor symbol OPENSSL_LOAD_CONF
       #define'd. In this way configuration can be added without source changes.

       The environment variable OPENSSL_CONF can be set to specify the location of the configuration file.

       Currently ASN1 OBJECTs and ENGINE configuration can be performed future versions of OpenSSL will add new
       configuration options.

       There are several reasons why calling the OpenSSL configuration routines is advisable. For example new
       ENGINE functionality was added to OpenSSL 0.9.7.  In OpenSSL 0.9.7 control functions can be supported by
       ENGINEs, this can be used (among other things) to load dynamic ENGINEs from shared libraries (DSOs).
       However very few applications currently support the control interface and so very few can load and use
       dynamic ENGINEs. Equally in future more sophisticated ENGINEs will require certain control operations to
       customize them. If an application calls OPENSSL_config() it doesn't need to know or care about ENGINE
       control operations because they can be performed by editing a configuration file.

       Applications should free up configuration at application closedown by calling CONF_modules_free().

RESTRICTIONS

       The OPENSSL_config() function is designed to be a very simple "call it and forget it" function. As a
       result its behaviour is somewhat limited. It ignores all errors silently and it can only load from the
       standard configuration file location for example.

       It is however much better than nothing. Applications which need finer control over their configuration
       functionality should use the configuration functions such as CONF_load_modules() directly.

RETURN VALUES

       Neither OPENSSL_config() nor OPENSSL_no_config() return a value.

SEE ALSO

       conf(5), CONF_load_modules_file(3), CONF_modules_free(3),CONF_modules_free(3)

HISTORY

       OPENSSL_config() and OPENSSL_no_config() first appeared in OpenSSL 0.9.7