Provided by: openssl_3.4.1-1ubuntu3_amd64 bug

NAME

       openssl-quic - OpenSSL QUIC

DESCRIPTION

       OpenSSL 3.2 and later features support for the QUIC transport protocol.  Currently, only client
       connectivity is supported. This man page describes the usage of QUIC client functionality for both
       existing and new applications.

       QUIC functionality uses the standard SSL API. A QUIC connection is represented by an SSL object in the
       same way that a TLS connection is. Only minimal changes are needed to existing applications making use of
       the libssl APIs to make use of QUIC client functionality. To make use of QUIC, use the SSL method
       OSSL_QUIC_client_method(3) or OSSL_QUIC_client_thread_method(3) with SSL_CTX_new(3).

       When a QUIC connection is created, by default, it operates in default stream mode, which is intended to
       provide compatibility with existing non-QUIC application usage patterns. In this mode, the connection has
       a single stream associated with it. Calls to SSL_read(3) and SSL_write(3) on the QUIC connection SSL
       object read and write from that stream. Whether the stream is client-initiated or server-initiated from a
       QUIC perspective depends on whether SSL_read(3) or SSL_write(3) is called first. See the MODES OF
       OPERATION section for more information.

       The default stream mode is intended for compatibility with existing applications. New applications using
       QUIC are recommended to disable default stream mode and use the multi-stream API; see the MODES OF
       OPERATION section and the RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEW APPLICATIONS section for more information.

       The remainder of this man page discusses, in order:

       •   Default stream mode versus multi-stream mode;

       •   The  changes  to  existing  libssl APIs which are driven by QUIC-related implementation requirements,
           which existing applications should bear in mind;

       •   Aspects which must be considered by existing applications when  adopting  QUIC,  including  potential
           changes which may be needed.

       •   Recommended usage approaches for new applications.

       •   New, QUIC-specific APIs.

MODES OF OPERATION

   Default Stream Mode
       A  QUIC  client  connection can be used in either default stream mode or multi-stream mode. By default, a
       newly created QUIC connection SSL object uses default stream mode.

       In default stream mode, a stream is implicitly created and bound  to  the  QUIC  connection  SSL  object;
       SSL_read(3)  and  SSL_write(3)  calls to the QUIC connection SSL object work by default and are mapped to
       that stream.

       When default stream mode is used, any API function which can be called on a QUIC stream  SSL  object  can
       also  be called on a QUIC connection SSL object, in which case it affects the default stream bound to the
       connection.

       The identity of a QUIC stream, including its stream ID, varies depending on whether a stream  is  client-
       initiated  or  server-initiated.  In default stream mode, if a client application calls SSL_read(3) first
       before any call to SSL_write(3) on the connection, it is assumed that the application protocol is using a
       server-initiated stream, and the  SSL_read(3)  call  will  not  complete  (either  blocking,  or  failing
       appropriately  if nonblocking mode is configured) until the server initiates a stream. Conversely, if the
       client application calls SSL_write(3) before any call to SSL_read(3) on the  connection,  it  is  assumed
       that a client-initiated stream is to be used and such a stream is created automatically.

       Default stream mode is intended to aid compatibility with legacy applications.  New applications adopting
       QUIC should use multi-stream mode, described below, and avoid use of the default stream functionality.

       It   is  possible  to  use  additional  streams  in  default  stream  mode  using  SSL_new_stream(3)  and
       SSL_accept_stream(3); note that the default  incoming  stream  policy  will  need  to  be  changed  using
       SSL_set_incoming_stream_policy(3)   in   order   to  use  SSL_accept_stream(3)  in  this  case.  However,
       applications using additional streams are strongly recommended to use multi-stream mode instead.

       Calling SSL_new_stream(3) or SSL_accept_stream(3) before a default stream has been  associated  with  the
       QUIC connection SSL object will inhibit future creation of a default stream.

   Multi-Stream Mode
       The  recommended  usage mode for new applications adopting QUIC is multi-stream mode, in which no default
       stream is attached to the QUIC connection SSL object and attempts to call SSL_read(3) and SSL_write(3) on
       the  QUIC  connection  SSL  object   fail.   Instead,   an   application   calls   SSL_new_stream(3)   or
       SSL_accept_stream(3)  to  create individual stream SSL objects for sending and receiving application data
       using SSL_read(3) and SSL_write(3).

       To   use   multi-stream   mode,    call    SSL_set_default_stream_mode(3)    with    an    argument    of
       SSL_DEFAULT_STREAM_MODE_NONE;  this  function  must  be  called  prior  to initiating the connection. The
       default stream mode cannot be changed after initiating a connection.

       When multi-stream mode is used, meaning that no default stream is associated with the  connection,  calls
       to  API  functions  which are defined as operating on a QUIC stream fail if called on the QUIC connection
       SSL object. For example, calls such as SSL_write(3) or SSL_get_stream_id(3) will fail.

CHANGES TO EXISTING APIS

       Most SSL APIs, such as SSL_read(3) and SSL_write(3), function as they do for TLS connections and  do  not
       have  changed  semantics,  with  some  exceptions.  The  changes to the semantics of existing APIs are as
       follows:

       •   Since QUIC uses UDP, SSL_set_bio(3), SSL_set0_rbio(3) and SSL_set0_wbio(3) function  as  before,  but
           must  now  receive  a BIO with datagram semantics. There are broadly four options for applications to
           use as a network BIO:

           •   BIO_s_datagram(3), recommended for most applications, replaces BIO_s_socket(3) and provides a UDP
               socket.

           •   BIO_s_dgram_pair(3) provides BIO pair-like functionality but  with  datagram  semantics,  and  is
               recommended  for  existing  applications  which  use  a BIO pair or memory BIO to manage libssl's
               communication with the network.

           •   BIO_s_dgram_mem(3) provides a simple memory  BIO-like  interface  but  with  datagram  semantics.
               Unlike BIO_s_dgram_pair(3), it is unidirectional.

           •   An  application  may  also  choose  to  implement  a  custom  BIO.  The  new  BIO_sendmmsg(3) and
               BIO_recvmmsg(3) APIs must be supported.

       •   SSL_set_fd(3), SSL_set_rfd(3) and SSL_set_wfd(3) traditionally  instantiate  a  BIO_s_socket(3).  For
           QUIC,  these functions instead instantiate a BIO_s_datagram(3). This is equivalent to instantiating a
           BIO_s_datagram(3) and using SSL_set0_rbio(3) and SSL_set0_wbio(3).

       •   Traditionally, whether the application-level I/O APIs (such as SSL_read(3) and SSL_write(3)  operated
           in  a  blocking  fashion  was  directly  correlated  with  whether  the underlying network socket was
           configured in a blocking fashion. This is no longer the case; applications must explicitly  configure
           the     desired    application-level    blocking    mode    using    SSL_set_blocking_mode(3).    See
           SSL_set_blocking_mode(3) for details.

       •   Network-level I/O must always be performed in a nonblocking manner. The application can  still  enjoy
           blocking semantics for calls to application-level I/O functions such as SSL_read(3) and SSL_write(3),
           but  the  underlying network BIO provided to QUIC (such as a BIO_s_datagram(3)) must be configured in
           nonblocking mode. For application-level blocking functionality, see SSL_set_blocking_mode(3).

       •   BIO_new_ssl_connect(3) has been changed to automatically use a BIO_s_datagram(3) when used with QUIC,
           therefore applications which use this do not need to change the BIO they use.

       •   BIO_new_buffer_ssl_connect(3)  cannot  be  used  with  QUIC  and  applications  must  change  to  use
           BIO_new_ssl_connect(3) instead.

       •   SSL_shutdown(3)  has  significant  changes  in relation to how QUIC connections must be shut down. In
           particular, applications should be advised that the full RFC-conformant  QUIC  shutdown  process  may
           take an extended amount of time. This may not be suitable for short-lived processes which should exit
           immediately  after  their usage of a QUIC connection is completed. A rapid shutdown mode is available
           for such applications. For details, see SSL_shutdown(3).

       •   SSL_want(3), SSL_want_read(3) and SSL_want_write(3) no longer reflect the I/O state  of  the  network
           BIO  passed  to  the  QUIC  SSL object, but instead reflect the flow control state of the QUIC stream
           associated with the SSL object.

           When used in nonblocking mode, SSL_ERROR_WANT_READ indicates that the receive part of a  QUIC  stream
           does  not  currently have any more data available to be read, and SSL_ERROR_WANT_WRITE indicates that
           the stream's internal buffer is full.

           To determine if the  QUIC  implementation  currently  wishes  to  be  informed  of  incoming  network
           datagrams,  use  the  new  function  SSL_net_read_desired(3);  likewise,  to  determine  if  the QUIC
           implementation currently wishes to be informed when it is possible to transmit network datagrams, use
           the new function SSL_net_write_desired(3). Only applications which wish to  manage  their  own  event
           loops need to use these functions; see APPLICATION-DRIVEN EVENT LOOPS for further discussion.

       •   The use of ALPN is mandatory when using QUIC. Attempts to connect without configuring ALPN will fail.
           For information on how to configure ALPN, see SSL_set_alpn_protos(3).

       •   Whether QUIC operates in a client or server mode is determined by the SSL_METHOD used, rather than by
           calls  to  SSL_set_connect_state(3) or SSL_set_accept_state(3). It is not necessary to call either of
           SSL_set_connect_state(3) or SSL_set_accept_state(3) before connecting, but if  either  of  these  are
           called,  the function called must be congruent with the SSL_METHOD being used. Currently, only client
           mode is supported.

       •   The SSL_set_min_proto_version(3) and SSL_set_max_proto_version(3) APIs are not used  and  the  values
           passed to them are ignored, as OpenSSL QUIC currently always uses TLS 1.3.

       •   The following libssl functionality is not available when used with QUIC.

           •   Async functionality

           •   SSL_MODE_AUTO_RETRY

           •   Record Padding and Fragmentation (SSL_set_block_padding(3), etc.)

           •   SSL_stateless(3) support

           •   SRTP functionality

           •   TLSv1.3 Early Data

           •   TLS  Next  Protocol  Negotiation  cannot  be  used  and is superseded by ALPN, which must be used
               instead. The use of ALPN is mandatory with QUIC.

           •   Post-Handshake Client Authentication is not available as QUIC prohibits its use.

           •   QUIC requires the use of TLSv1.3 or later, therefore functionality only  relevant  to  older  TLS
               versions is not available.

           •   Some  cipher suites which are generally available for TLSv1.3 are not available for QUIC, such as
               TLS_AES_128_CCM_8_SHA256. Your application may need to  adjust  the  list  of  acceptable  cipher
               suites it passes to libssl.

           •   CCM mode is not currently supported.

           The  following  libssl  functionality  is  also  not  available when used with QUIC, but calls to the
           relevant functions are treated as no-ops:

           •   Readahead (SSL_set_read_ahead(3), etc.)

CONSIDERATIONS FOR EXISTING APPLICATIONS

       Existing applications seeking to adopt QUIC should apply the following list  to  determine  what  changes
       they will need to make:

       •   An     application    wishing    to    use    QUIC    must    use    OSSL_QUIC_client_method(3)    or
           OSSL_QUIC_client_thread_method(3) as its SSL method. For more information on the differences  between
           these two methods, see THREAD ASSISTED MODE.

       •   Determine  how  to  provide  QUIC  with  network  access. Determine which of the below apply for your
           application:

           •   Your application uses BIO_s_socket(3) to construct a BIO which is passed to  the  SSL  object  to
               provide it with network access.

               Changes  needed:  Change  your  application to use BIO_s_datagram(3) instead when using QUIC. The
               socket  must  be  configured  in  nonblocking  mode.  You  may   or   may   not   need   to   use
               SSL_set1_initial_peer_addr(3) to set the initial peer address; see the QUIC-SPECIFIC APIS section
               for details.

           •   Your application uses BIO_new_ssl_connect(3) to construct a BIO which is passed to the SSL object
               to provide it with network access.

               Changes needed: No changes needed. Use of QUIC is detected automatically and a datagram socket is
               created instead of a normal TCP socket.

           •   Your application uses any other I/O strategy in this list but combines it with a BIO_f_buffer(3),
               for example using BIO_push(3).

               Changes  needed:  Disable the usage of BIO_f_buffer(3) when using QUIC. Usage of such a buffer is
               incompatible with QUIC as QUIC requires datagram semantics in its interaction with the network.

           •   Your application uses a BIO pair to cause the SSL object to read and write network traffic  to  a
               memory buffer. Your application manages the transmission and reception of buffered data itself in
               a way unknown to libssl.

               Changes  needed:  Switch from using a conventional BIO pair to using BIO_s_dgram_pair(3) instead,
               which has the necessary datagram semantics. You will need to modify your application to  transmit
               and  receive  using  a  UDP  socket  and  to  use  datagram  semantics  when interacting with the
               BIO_s_dgram_pair(3) instance.

           •   Your application uses a custom BIO method to provide the SSL object with network access.

               Changes needed: The custom BIO must be re-architected to have datagram semantics. BIO_sendmmsg(3)
               and BIO_recvmmsg(3) must be implemented. These calls  must  operate  in  a  nonblocking  fashion.
               Optionally,  implement the BIO_get_rpoll_descriptor(3) and BIO_get_wpoll_descriptor(3) methods if
               desired. Implementing these methods is required if blocking semantics at the SSL  API  level  are
               desired.

       •   An  application  must  explicitly configure whether it wishes to use the SSL APIs in blocking mode or
           not. Traditionally, an SSL object has automatically operated in blocking or nonblocking mode based on
           whether the underlying network BIO operates in blocking or nonblocking mode. QUIC requires the use of
           a nonblocking network BIO, therefore the blocking mode at the application level  must  be  explicitly
           configured  by  the  application  using  the  new  SSL_set_blocking_mode(3)  API. The default mode is
           blocking. If an application wishes to use the SSL object APIs at application level in  a  nonblocking
           manner, it must add a call to SSL_set_blocking_mode(3) to disable blocking mode.

       •   If  your application does not choose to use thread assisted mode, it must ensure that it calls an I/O
           function on the  SSL  object  (for  example,  SSL_read(3)  or  SSL_write(3)),  or  the  new  function
           SSL_handle_events(3), regularly. If the SSL object is used in blocking mode, an ongoing blocking call
           to  an I/O function satisfies this requirement. This is required to ensure that timer events required
           by QUIC are handled in a timely fashion.

           Most applications will service the SSL object by calling SSL_read(3) or SSL_write(3) regularly. If an
           application does not do this, it should ensure that SSL_handle_events(3) is called regularly.

           SSL_get_event_timeout(3) can be used to determine when SSL_handle_events(3) must next be called.

           If the SSL object is  being  used  with  an  underlying  network  BIO  which  is  pollable  (such  as
           BIO_s_datagram(3)),  the application can use SSL_get_rpoll_descriptor(3), SSL_get_wpoll_descriptor(3)
           to obtain resources which can be used to determine when SSL_handle_events(3) should be called due  to
           network I/O.

           Applications which use thread assisted mode do not need to be concerned with this requirement, as the
           QUIC  implementation  ensures timeout events are handled in a timely manner. See THREAD ASSISTED MODE
           for details.

       •   Ensure that your usage of  SSL_want(3),  SSL_want_read(3)  and  SSL_want_write(3)  reflects  the  API
           changes  described in CHANGES TO EXISTING APIS. In particular, you should use these APIs to determine
           the ability of a QUIC stream to receive or provide application data, not to to determine  if  network
           I/O is required.

       •   Evaluate  your  application's  use of SSL_shutdown(3) in light of the changes discussed in CHANGES TO
           EXISTING APIS. Depending on whether your application wishes to prioritise RFC  conformance  or  rapid
           shutdown, consider using the new SSL_shutdown_ex(3) API instead. See QUIC-SPECIFIC APIS for details.

RECOMMENDED USAGE IN NEW APPLICATIONS

       The recommended usage in new applications varies depending on three independent design decisions:

       •   Whether  the  application  will  use blocking or nonblocking I/O at the application level (configured
           using SSL_set_blocking_mode(3)).

           If the application does nonblocking I/O at the application level it can  choose  to  manage  its  own
           polling and event loop; see APPLICATION-DRIVEN EVENT LOOPS.

       •   Whether  the  application  intends  to give the QUIC implementation direct access to a network socket
           (e.g. via BIO_s_datagram(3)) or whether it intends to buffer transmitted and received datagrams via a
           BIO_s_dgram_pair(3) or custom BIO.

           The former is preferred where possible as it reduces latency to the network, which  enables  QUIC  to
           achieve higher performance and more accurate connection round trip time (RTT) estimation.

       •   Whether thread assisted mode will be used (see THREAD ASSISTED MODE).

       Simple    demos    for    QUIC    usage    under    these    various    scenarios   can   be   found   at
       <https://github.com/openssl/openssl/tree/master/doc/designs/ddd>.

       Applications which wish to implement QUIC-specific protocols should be aware of  the  APIs  listed  under
       QUIC-SPECIFIC    APIS    which    provide   access   to   QUIC-specific   functionality.   For   example,
       SSL_stream_conclude(3) can  be  used  to  indicate  the  end  of  the  sending  part  of  a  stream,  and
       SSL_shutdown_ex(3) can be used to provide a QUIC application error code when closing a connection.

       Regardless of the design decisions chosen above, it is recommended that new applications avoid use of the
       default stream mode and use the multi-stream API by calling SSL_set_default_stream_mode(3); see the MODES
       OF OPERATION section for details.

QUIC-SPECIFIC APIS

       This  section  details  new  APIs  which  are directly or indirectly related to QUIC.  For details on the
       operation of each API, see the referenced man pages.

       The following SSL APIs are new but relevant to both QUIC and DTLS:

       SSL_get_event_timeout(3)
           Determines when the QUIC implementation should next be woken up via a  call  to  SSL_handle_events(3)
           (or another I/O function such as SSL_read(3) or SSL_write(3)), if ever.

           This can also be used with DTLS and supersedes DTLSv1_get_timeout(3) for new usage.

       SSL_handle_events(3)
           This  is a non-specific I/O operation which makes a best effort attempt to perform any pending I/O or
           timeout processing. It can be used to advance the QUIC state machine by processing  incoming  network
           traffic,  generating outgoing network traffic and handling any expired timeout events. Most other I/O
           functions on an SSL object, such as SSL_read(3) and SSL_write(3) implicitly perform event handling on
           the SSL object, so calling this function is only needed if no other I/O function is to be called.

           This can also be used with DTLS and supersedes DTLSv1_handle_timeout(3) for new usage.

       The following SSL APIs are specific to QUIC:

       SSL_set_blocking_mode(3), SSL_get_blocking_mode(3)
           Configures whether blocking semantics are used at the  application  level.  This  determines  whether
           calls to functions such as SSL_read(3) and SSL_write(3) will block.

       SSL_get_rpoll_descriptor(3), SSL_get_wpoll_descriptor(3)
           These functions facilitate operation in nonblocking mode.

           When  an  SSL  object  is  being  used  with  an  underlying network read BIO which supports polling,
           SSL_get_rpoll_descriptor(3) outputs an OS resource which  can  be  used  to  synchronise  on  network
           readability events which should result in a call to SSL_handle_events(3). SSL_get_wpoll_descriptor(3)
           works in an analogous fashion for the underlying network write BIO.

           The  poll  descriptors provided by these functions need only be used when SSL_net_read_desired(3) and
           SSL_net_write_desired(3) return 1, respectively.

       SSL_net_read_desired(3), SSL_net_write_desired(3)
           These  functions  facilitate  operation  in  nonblocking  mode  and  are  used  in  conjunction  with
           SSL_get_rpoll_descriptor(3)  and SSL_get_wpoll_descriptor(3) respectively. They determine whether the
           respective poll descriptor is currently relevant for the purposes of polling.

       SSL_set1_initial_peer_addr(3)
           This function can be used to set the initial peer address  for  an  outgoing  QUIC  connection.  This
           function  must  be  used  in the general case when creating an outgoing QUIC connection; however, the
           correct initial peer address can be autodetected in some cases. See SSL_set1_initial_peer_addr(3) for
           details.

       SSL_shutdown_ex(3)
           This augments SSL_shutdown(3) by allowing an application error code to be specified. It also allows a
           client to decide how quickly it wants a shutdown to be performed, potentially by trading  off  strict
           RFC compliance.

       SSL_stream_conclude(3)
           This  allows  an  application  to  indicate the normal end of the sending part of a QUIC stream. This
           corresponds to the FIN flag in the QUIC RFC. The receiving part of a stream remains usable.

       SSL_stream_reset(3)
           This allows an application to indicate the non-normal termination of the sending part  of  a  stream.
           This corresponds to the RESET_STREAM frame in the QUIC RFC.

       SSL_get_stream_write_state(3) and SSL_get_stream_read_state(3)
           This allows an application to determine the current stream states for the sending and receiving parts
           of a stream respectively.

       SSL_get_stream_write_error_code(3) and SSL_get_stream_read_error_code(3)
           This  allows  an  application  to  determine the application error code which was signalled by a peer
           which has performed a non-normal stream termination of the respective sending or receiving part of  a
           stream, if any.

       SSL_get_conn_close_info(3)
           This  allows  an application to determine the error code which was signalled when the local or remote
           endpoint terminated the QUIC connection.

       SSL_get0_connection(3)
           Gets the QUIC connection SSL object from a QUIC stream SSL object.

       SSL_is_connection(3)
           Returns 1 if a SSL object is not a QUIC stream SSL object.

       SSL_get_stream_type(3)
           Provides information on the kind of QUIC stream which is attached to the SSL object.

       SSL_get_stream_id(3)
           Returns the QUIC stream ID which the QUIC protocol has associated with a QUIC stream.

       SSL_new_stream(3)
           Creates a new QUIC stream SSL object representing a new, locally-initiated QUIC stream.

       SSL_accept_stream(3)
           Potentially yields a new QUIC stream SSL object representing a new  remotely-initiated  QUIC  stream,
           blocking until one is available if the connection is configured to do so.

       SSL_get_accept_stream_queue_len(3)
           Provides information on the number of pending remotely-initiated streams.

       SSL_set_incoming_stream_policy(3)
           Configures  how  incoming,  remotely-initiated streams are handled. The incoming stream policy can be
           used to automatically reject streams created  by  the  peer,  or  allow  them  to  be  handled  using
           SSL_accept_stream(3).

       SSL_set_default_stream_mode(3)
           Used to configure or disable default stream mode; see the MODES OF OPERATION section for details.

       The  following  BIO  APIs  are  not  specific  to  QUIC  but  have been added to facilitate QUIC-specific
       requirements and are closely associated with its use:

       BIO_s_dgram_pair(3)
           This is a new BIO method which is similar to a conventional BIO pair but provides datagram semantics.

       BIO_get_rpoll_descriptor(3), BIO_get_wpoll_descriptor(3)
           This is a new BIO API which allows a BIO to expose a poll descriptor. This API is used  to  implement
           the corresponding SSL APIs SSL_get_rpoll_descriptor(3) and SSL_get_wpoll_descriptor(3).

       BIO_sendmmsg(3), BIO_recvmmsg(3)
           This  is  a  new  BIO  API which can be implemented by BIOs which implement datagram semantics. It is
           implemented by BIO_s_datagram(3) and BIO_s_dgram_pair(3).  It is used by the QUIC  implementation  to
           send and receive UDP datagrams.

       BIO_dgram_set_no_trunc(3), BIO_dgram_get_no_trunc(3)
           By default, BIO_s_dgram_pair(3) has semantics comparable to those of Berkeley sockets being used with
           datagram  semantics.  This  allows  an  alternative mode to be enabled in which datagrams will not be
           silently truncated if they are too large.

       BIO_dgram_set_caps(3), BIO_dgram_get_caps(3)
           These functions are used to allow the user of one  end  of  a  BIO_s_dgram_pair(3)  to  indicate  its
           capabilities  to the other end of a BIO_s_dgram_pair(3). In particular, this allows an application to
           inform the QUIC implementation of whether it is prepared to handle local  and/or  peer  addresses  in
           transmitted datagrams and to provide the applicable information in received datagrams.

       BIO_dgram_get_local_addr_cap(3), BIO_dgram_set_local_addr_enable(3), BIO_dgram_get_local_addr_enable(3)
           Local  addressing  support  refers  to the ability of a BIO with datagram semantics to allow a source
           address to be specified on transmission and to report the destination  address  on  reception.  These
           functions  can  be  used  to  determine  if  a  BIO  can support local addressing and to enable local
           addressing support if it can.

       BIO_err_is_non_fatal(3)
           This is used to determine if an error while calling BIO_sendmmsg(3) or BIO_recvmmsg(3)  is  ephemeral
           in nature, such as "would block" errors.

THREAD ASSISTED MODE

       The  optional  thread  assisted  mode can be used with OSSL_QUIC_client_thread_method(3). In this mode, a
       background thread is created automatically. The OpenSSL QUIC implementation then takes responsibility for
       ensuring that timeout events are handled on  a  timely  basis  even  if  no  SSL  I/O  function  such  as
       SSL_read(3) or SSL_write(3) is called by the application for a long time.

       All  necessary  locking  is  handled  automatically  internally, but the thread safety guarantees for the
       public SSL API are unchanged. Therefore, an application must still do its own locking  if  it  wishes  to
       make concurrent use of the public SSL APIs.

       Because  this  method  relies on threads, it is not available on platforms where threading support is not
       available or not supported by OpenSSL. However, it does  provide  the  simplest  mode  of  usage  for  an
       application.

       The  implementation  may or may not use a common thread or thread pool to service multiple SSL objects in
       the same SSL_CTX.

APPLICATION-DRIVEN EVENT LOOPS

       OpenSSL's QUIC implementation is designed to facilitate applications which wish to use the SSL APIs in  a
       blocking  fashion,  but  is  also designed to facilitate applications which wish to use the SSL APIs in a
       nonblocking fashion and manage their own event loops and polling directly. This  is  useful  when  it  is
       desirable  to  host  OpenSSL's  QUIC  implementation  on top of an application's existing nonblocking I/O
       infrastructure.

       This is supported via the concept of  poll  descriptors;  see  BIO_get_rpoll_descriptor(3)  for  details.
       Broadly,  a BIO_POLL_DESCRIPTOR is a structure which expresses some kind of OS resource which can be used
       to synchronise on I/O events. The QUIC implementation provides a BIO_POLL_DESCRIPTOR based  on  the  poll
       descriptor  provided  by the underlying network BIO. This is typically an OS socket handle, though custom
       BIOs could choose to implement their own custom poll descriptor format.

       Broadly, an application which wishes to manage its own event loop should interact with the SSL object  as
       follows:

       •   It  should  provide  read  and write BIOs with nonblocking datagram semantics to the SSL object using
           SSL_set0_rbio(3) and SSL_set0_wbio(3). This could be a BIO  abstracting  a  network  socket  such  as
           BIO_s_datagram(3),  or  a BIO abstracting some kind of memory buffer such as BIO_s_dgram_pair(3). Use
           of a custom BIO is also possible.

       •   It should configure the SSL object into nonblocking mode by calling SSL_set_blocking_mode(3).

       •   It  should  configure  the  SSL  object  as  desired,  set  an   initial   peer   as   needed   using
           SSL_set1_initial_peer_addr(3), and trigger the connection process by calling SSL_connect(3).

       •   If  the  network  read  and write BIOs provided were pollable (for example, a BIO_s_datagram(3), or a
           custom BIO which implements BIO_get_rpoll_descriptor(3) and BIO_get_wpoll_descriptor(3)),  it  should
           perform the following steps repeatedly:

           •   The  application  should  call  SSL_get_rpoll_descriptor(3)  and  SSL_get_wpoll_descriptor(3)  to
               identify OS resources which can be used for synchronisation.

           •   It should call SSL_net_read_desired(3) and SSL_net_write_desired(3) to determine whether the QUIC
               implementation is currently interested in readability and writability events  on  the  underlying
               network  BIO  which  was  provided, and call SSL_get_event_timeout(3) to determine if any timeout
               event will become applicable in the future.

           •   It should wait until one of the following events occurs:

               •   The  poll  descriptor  returned   by   SSL_get_rpoll_descriptor(3)   becomes   readable   (if
                   SSL_net_read_desired(3) returned 1);

               •   The   poll   descriptor   returned   by   SSL_get_wpoll_descriptor(3)  becomes  writable  (if
                   SSL_net_write_desired(3) returned 1);

               •   The timeout returned by SSL_get_event_timeout(3) (if any) expires.

               Once any of these events occurs, SSL_handle_events(3) should be called.

       •   If the network read and write  BIOs  provided  were  not  pollable  (for  example,  in  the  case  of
           BIO_s_dgram_pair(3)),  the  application is responsible for managing and synchronising network I/O. It
           should call SSL_handle_events(3) after it writes data to a  BIO_s_dgram_pair(3)  or  otherwise  takes
           action  so  that  the QUIC implementation can read new datagrams via a call to BIO_recvmmsg(3) on the
           underlying network BIO. The QUIC implementation may output datagrams via a  call  to  BIO_sendmmsg(3)
           and the application is responsible for ensuring these are transmitted.

           The  application  must  call  SSL_get_event_timeout(3)  after  every call to SSL_handle_events(3) (or
           another I/O function on the SSL object), and ensure that a call to SSL_handle_events(3) is  performed
           after the specified timeout (if any).

SEE ALSO

       SSL_handle_events(3),    SSL_get_event_timeout(3),   SSL_net_read_desired(3),   SSL_net_write_desired(3),
       SSL_get_rpoll_descriptor(3), SSL_get_wpoll_descriptor(3),  SSL_set_blocking_mode(3),  SSL_shutdown_ex(3),
       SSL_set1_initial_peer_addr(3), SSL_stream_conclude(3), SSL_stream_reset(3), SSL_get_stream_read_state(3),
       SSL_get_stream_read_error_code(3),           SSL_get_conn_close_info(3),          SSL_get0_connection(3),
       SSL_get_stream_type(3),       SSL_get_stream_id(3),       SSL_new_stream(3),        SSL_accept_stream(3),
       SSL_set_incoming_stream_policy(3), SSL_set_default_stream_mode(3)

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright 2022-2023 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>.

3.4.1                                              2025-04-03                                 OPENSSL-QUIC(7SSL)