SSL_GET_SESSION(3) | Library Functions Manual | SSL_GET_SESSION(3)

# NAME

`SSL_get_session`, `SSL_get0_session`, `SSL_get1_session` — retrieve TLS/SSL session data

# SYNOPSIS

library “libssl” libcrypto
`#include <openssl/ssl.h>`

SSL_SESSION *
`SSL_get_session`(const SSL *ssl);

SSL_SESSION *
`SSL_get0_session`(const SSL *ssl);

SSL_SESSION *
`SSL_get1_session`(SSL *ssl);

# DESCRIPTION

`SSL_get_session`() returns a pointer to the SSL_SESSION actually used in ssl. The reference count of the SSL_SESSION is not incremented, so that the pointer can become invalid by other operations.

`SSL_get0_session`() is the same as `SSL_get_session`().

`SSL_get1_session`() is the same as `SSL_get_session`(), but the reference count of the SSL_SESSION is incremented by one.

The ssl session contains all information required to re-establish the connection without a new handshake.

`SSL_get0_session`() returns a pointer to the actual session. As the reference counter is not incremented, the pointer is only valid while the connection is in use. If SSL_clear(3) or SSL_free(3) is called, the session may be removed completely (if considered bad), and the pointer obtained will become invalid. Even if the session is valid, it can be removed at any time due to timeout during SSL_CTX_flush_sessions(3).

If the data is to be kept, `SSL_get1_session`() will increment the reference count, so that the session will not be implicitly removed by other operations but stays in memory. In order to remove the session, SSL_SESSION_free(3) must be explicitly called once to decrement the reference count again.

SSL_SESSION objects keep internal link information about the session cache list when being inserted into one SSL_CTX object's session cache. One SSL_SESSION object, regardless of its reference count, must therefore only be used with one SSL_CTX object (and the SSL objects created from this SSL_CTX object).

# RETURN VALUES

The following return values can occur:

`NULL`
  There is no session available in ssl.
Pointer to an SSL_SESSION
  The return value points to the data of an SSL session.

# SEE ALSO

ssl(3), SSL_clear(3), SSL_free(3), SSL_SESSION_free(3), SSL_SESSION_get0_peer(3), SSL_SESSION_get_compress_id(3), SSL_SESSION_get_id(3), SSL_SESSION_get_protocol_version(3), SSL_SESSION_get_time(3), SSL_SESSION_new(3), SSL_SESSION_print(3), SSL_set_session(3)

# HISTORY

`SSL_get_session`() first appeared in SSLeay 0.5.2 and has been available since OpenBSD 2.4.

`SSL_get0_session`() and `SSL_get1_session`() first appeared in OpenSSL 0.9.5 and have been available since OpenBSD 2.7.

June 8, 2025 | Debian