SSL_WRITE(3SSL) OpenSSL SSL_WRITE(3SSL)
NAME
SSL_write_ex2, SSL_write_ex, SSL_write, SSL_sendfile,
SSL_WRITE_FLAG_CONCLUDE - write bytes to a TLS/SSL connection
SYNOPSIS
#include <openssl/ssl.h>
#define SSL_WRITE_FLAG_CONCLUDE
ossl_ssize_t SSL_sendfile(SSL *s, int fd, off_t offset, size_t size, int flags);
int SSL_write_ex2(SSL *s, const void *buf, size_t num,
uint64_t flags,
size_t *written);
int SSL_write_ex(SSL *s, const void *buf, size_t num, size_t *written);
int SSL_write(SSL *ssl, const void *buf, int num);
DESCRIPTION
SSL_write_ex() and SSL_write() write num bytes from the buffer buf into
the specified ssl connection. On success SSL_write_ex() will store the
number of bytes written in *written.
SSL_write_ex2() functions similarly to SSL_write_ex() but can also
accept optional flags which modify its behaviour. Calling
SSL_write_ex2() with a flags argument of 0 is exactly equivalent to
calling SSL_write_ex().
SSL_sendfile() writes size bytes from offset offset in the file
descriptor fd to the specified SSL connection s. This function provides
efficient zero-copy semantics. SSL_sendfile() is available only when
Kernel TLS is enabled, which can be checked by calling
BIO_get_ktls_send(). It is provided here to allow users to maintain the
same interface. The meaning of flags is platform dependent. Currently,
under Linux it is ignored.
The flags argument to SSL_write_ex2() can accept zero or more of the
following flags. Note that which flags are supported will depend on the
kind of SSL object and underlying protocol being used:
SSL_WRITE_FLAG_CONCLUDE
This flag is only supported on QUIC stream SSL objects (or QUIC
connection SSL objects with a default stream attached).
If this flag is set, and the call to SSL_write_ex2() succeeds, and
all of the data passed to the call is written (meaning that
"*written == num"), the relevant QUIC stream's send part is
concluded automatically as though SSL_stream_conclude(3) was called
(causing transmission of a FIN for the stream).
While using this flag is semantically equivalent to calling
SSL_stream_conclude(3) after a successful call to this function,
using this flag enables greater efficiency than making these two API
calls separately, as it enables the written stream data and the FIN
flag indicating the end of the stream to be scheduled as part of the
same QUIC STREAM frame and QUIC packet.
Setting this flag does not cause a stream's send part to be
concluded if not all of the data passed to the call was consumed.
A call to SSL_write_ex2() fails if a flag is passed which is not
supported or understood by the given SSL object. An application should
determine if a flag is supported (for example, for
SSL_WRITE_FLAG_CONCLUDE, that a QUIC stream SSL object is being used)
before attempting to use it.
NOTES
In the paragraphs below a "write function" is defined as one of either
SSL_write_ex(), or SSL_write().
If necessary, a write function will negotiate a TLS/SSL session, if not
already explicitly performed by SSL_connect(3) or SSL_accept(3). If the
peer requests a re-negotiation, it will be performed transparently
during the write function operation. The behaviour of the write
functions depends on the underlying BIO.
For the transparent negotiation to succeed, the ssl must have been
initialized to client or server mode. This is being done by calling
SSL_set_connect_state(3) or SSL_set_accept_state() before the first call
to a write function.
If the underlying BIO is blocking, the write functions will only return,
once the write operation has been finished or an error occurred.
If the underlying BIO is nonblocking the write functions will also
return when the underlying BIO could not satisfy the needs of the
function to continue the operation. In this case a call to
SSL_get_error(3) with the return value of the write function will yield
SSL_ERROR_WANT_READ or SSL_ERROR_WANT_WRITE. As at any time a re-
negotiation is possible, a call to a write function can also cause read
operations! The calling process then must repeat the call after taking
appropriate action to satisfy the needs of the write function. The
action depends on the underlying BIO. When using a nonblocking socket,
nothing is to be done, but select() can be used to check for the
required condition. When using a buffering BIO, like a BIO pair, data
must be written into or retrieved out of the BIO before being able to
continue.
The write functions will only return with success when the complete
contents of buf of length num has been written. This default behaviour
can be changed with the SSL_MODE_ENABLE_PARTIAL_WRITE option of
SSL_CTX_set_mode(3). When this flag is set the write functions will also
return with success when a partial write has been successfully
completed. In this case the write function operation is considered
completed. The bytes are sent and a new write call with a new buffer
(with the already sent bytes removed) must be started. A partial write
is performed with the size of a message block, which is 16kB.
When used with a QUIC SSL object, calling an I/O function such as
SSL_write() allows internal network event processing to be performed. It
is important that this processing is performed regularly. If an
application is not using thread assisted mode, an application should
ensure that an I/O function such as SSL_write() is called regularly, or
alternatively ensure that SSL_handle_events() is called regularly. See
openssl-quic(7) and SSL_handle_events(3) for more information.
WARNINGS
When a write function call has to be repeated because SSL_get_error(3)
returned SSL_ERROR_WANT_READ or SSL_ERROR_WANT_WRITE, it must be
repeated with the same arguments. The data that was passed might have
been partially processed. When SSL_MODE_ACCEPT_MOVING_WRITE_BUFFER was
set using SSL_CTX_set_mode(3) the pointer can be different, but the data
and length should still be the same.
You should not call SSL_write() with num=0, it will return an error.
SSL_write_ex() can be called with num=0, but will not send application
data to the peer.
RETURN VALUES
SSL_write_ex() and SSL_write_ex2() return 1 for success or 0 for
failure. Success means that all requested application data bytes have
been written to the SSL connection or, if SSL_MODE_ENABLE_PARTIAL_WRITE
is in use, at least 1 application data byte has been written to the SSL
connection. Failure means that not all the requested bytes have been
written yet (if SSL_MODE_ENABLE_PARTIAL_WRITE is not in use) or no bytes
could be written to the SSL connection (if SSL_MODE_ENABLE_PARTIAL_WRITE
is in use). Failures can be retryable (e.g. the network write buffer has
temporarily filled up) or non-retryable (e.g. a fatal network error). In
the event of a failure call SSL_get_error(3) to find out the reason
which indicates whether the call is retryable or not.
For SSL_write() the following return values can occur:
> 0 The write operation was successful, the return value is the number
of bytes actually written to the TLS/SSL connection.
<= 0
The write operation was not successful, because either the
connection was closed, an error occurred or action must be taken by
the calling process. Call SSL_get_error() with the return value ret
to find out the reason.
Old documentation indicated a difference between 0 and -1, and that
-1 was retryable. You should instead call SSL_get_error() to find
out if it's retryable.
For SSL_sendfile(), the following return values can occur:
>= 0
The write operation was successful, the return value is the number
of bytes of the file written to the TLS/SSL connection. The return
value can be less than size for a partial write.
< 0 The write operation was not successful, because either the
connection was closed, an error occurred or action must be taken by
the calling process. Call SSL_get_error() with the return value to
find out the reason.
SEE ALSO
SSL_get_error(3), SSL_read_ex(3), SSL_read(3) SSL_CTX_set_mode(3),
SSL_CTX_new(3), SSL_connect(3), SSL_accept(3) SSL_set_connect_state(3),
BIO_ctrl(3), ssl(7), bio(7)
HISTORY
The SSL_write_ex() function was added in OpenSSL 1.1.1. The
SSL_sendfile() function was added in OpenSSL 3.0. The SSL_write_ex2()
function was added in OpenSSL 3.3.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright 2000-2024 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>.
3.5.7 2026-06-09 SSL_WRITE(3SSL)
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