1 \input texinfo @c -*- Texinfo -*-
3 @setfilename gcrypt.info
5 @settitle The Libgcrypt Reference Manual
6 @c Unify some of the indices.
11 This manual is for Libgcrypt
12 (version @value{VERSION}, @value{UPDATED}),
13 which is GNU's library of cryptographic building blocks.
15 Copyright @copyright{} 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
18 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
19 under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
20 Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your
21 option) any later version. The text of the license can be found in the
22 section entitled ``GNU General Public License''.
26 @dircategory GNU Libraries
28 * libgcrypt: (gcrypt). Cryptographic function library.
36 @setchapternewpage odd
38 @title The Libgcrypt Reference Manual
39 @subtitle Version @value{VERSION}
40 @subtitle @value{UPDATED}
41 @author Werner Koch (@email{wk@@gnupg.org})
42 @author Moritz Schulte (@email{mo@@g10code.com})
45 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
58 @top The Libgcrypt Library
64 * Introduction:: What is Libgcrypt.
65 * Preparation:: What you should do before using the library.
66 * Generalities:: General library functions and data types.
67 * Handler Functions:: Working with handler functions.
68 * Symmetric cryptography:: How to use symmetric cryptography.
69 * Public Key cryptography:: How to use public key cryptography.
70 * Hashing:: How to use hash and MAC algorithms.
71 * Random Numbers:: How to work with random numbers.
72 * S-expressions:: How to manage S-expressions.
73 * MPI library:: How to work with multi-precision-integers.
74 * Prime numbers:: How to use the Prime number related functions.
75 * Utilities:: Utility functions.
76 * Architecture:: How Libgcrypt works internally.
80 * Self-Tests:: Description of the self-tests.
81 * FIPS Mode:: Description of the FIPS mode.
82 * Library Copying:: The GNU Lesser General Public License
83 says how you can copy and share Libgcrypt.
84 * Copying:: The GNU General Public License says how you
85 can copy and share some parts of Libgcrypt.
89 * Figures and Tables:: Index of figures and tables.
90 * Concept Index:: Index of concepts and programs.
91 * Function and Data Index:: Index of functions, variables and data types.
102 @c **********************************************************
103 @c ******************* Introduction ***********************
104 @c **********************************************************
106 @chapter Introduction
108 Libgcrypt is a library providing cryptographic building blocks.
111 * Getting Started:: How to use this manual.
112 * Features:: A glance at Libgcrypt's features.
113 * Overview:: Overview about the library.
116 @node Getting Started
117 @section Getting Started
119 This manual documents the Libgcrypt library application programming
120 interface (API). All functions and data types provided by the library
124 The reader is assumed to possess basic knowledge about applied
127 This manual can be used in several ways. If read from the beginning
128 to the end, it gives a good introduction into the library and how it
129 can be used in an application. Forward references are included where
130 necessary. Later on, the manual can be used as a reference manual to
131 get just the information needed about any particular interface of the
132 library. Experienced programmers might want to start looking at the
133 examples at the end of the manual, and then only read up those parts
134 of the interface which are unclear.
140 Libgcrypt might have a couple of advantages over other libraries doing
144 @item It's Free Software
145 Anybody can use, modify, and redistribute it under the terms of the GNU
146 Lesser General Public License (@pxref{Library Copying}). Note, that
147 some parts (which are in general not needed by applications) are subject
148 to the terms of the GNU General Public License (@pxref{Copying}); please
149 see the README file of the distribution for of list of these parts.
151 @item It encapsulates the low level cryptography
152 Libgcrypt provides a high level interface to cryptographic
153 building blocks using an extensible and flexible API.
161 The Libgcrypt library is fully thread-safe, where it makes
162 sense to be thread-safe. Not thread-safe are some cryptographic
163 functions that modify a certain context stored in handles. If the
164 user really intents to use such functions from different threads on
165 the same handle, he has to take care of the serialization of such
166 functions himself. If not described otherwise, every function is
169 Libgcrypt depends on the library `libgpg-error', which
170 contains common error handling related code for GnuPG components.
172 @c **********************************************************
173 @c ******************* Preparation ************************
174 @c **********************************************************
178 To use Libgcrypt, you have to perform some changes to your
179 sources and the build system. The necessary changes are small and
180 explained in the following sections. At the end of this chapter, it
181 is described how the library is initialized, and how the requirements
182 of the library are verified.
185 * Header:: What header file you need to include.
186 * Building sources:: How to build sources using the library.
187 * Building sources using Automake:: How to build sources with the help of Automake.
188 * Initializing the library:: How to initialize the library.
189 * Multi-Threading:: How Libgcrypt can be used in a MT environment.
190 * Enabling FIPS mode:: How to enable the FIPS mode.
197 All interfaces (data types and functions) of the library are defined
198 in the header file @file{gcrypt.h}. You must include this in all source
199 files using the library, either directly or through some other header
206 The name space of Libgcrypt is @code{gcry_*} for function
207 and type names and @code{GCRY*} for other symbols. In addition the
208 same name prefixes with one prepended underscore are reserved for
209 internal use and should never be used by an application. Note that
210 Libgcrypt uses libgpg-error, which uses @code{gpg_*} as
211 name space for function and type names and @code{GPG_*} for other
212 symbols, including all the error codes.
215 Certain parts of gcrypt.h may be excluded by defining these macros:
218 @item GCRYPT_NO_MPI_MACROS
219 Do not define the shorthand macros @code{mpi_*} for @code{gcry_mpi_*}.
221 @item GCRYPT_NO_DEPRECATED
222 Do not include defintions for deprecated features. This is useful to
223 make sure that no deprecated features are used.
226 @node Building sources
227 @section Building sources
229 If you want to compile a source file including the `gcrypt.h' header
230 file, you must make sure that the compiler can find it in the
231 directory hierarchy. This is accomplished by adding the path to the
232 directory in which the header file is located to the compilers include
233 file search path (via the @option{-I} option).
235 However, the path to the include file is determined at the time the
236 source is configured. To solve this problem, Libgcrypt ships with a small
237 helper program @command{libgcrypt-config} that knows the path to the
238 include file and other configuration options. The options that need
239 to be added to the compiler invocation at compile time are output by
240 the @option{--cflags} option to @command{libgcrypt-config}. The following
241 example shows how it can be used at the command line:
244 gcc -c foo.c `libgcrypt-config --cflags`
247 Adding the output of @samp{libgcrypt-config --cflags} to the compilers
248 command line will ensure that the compiler can find the Libgcrypt header
251 A similar problem occurs when linking the program with the library.
252 Again, the compiler has to find the library files. For this to work,
253 the path to the library files has to be added to the library search path
254 (via the @option{-L} option). For this, the option @option{--libs} to
255 @command{libgcrypt-config} can be used. For convenience, this option
256 also outputs all other options that are required to link the program
257 with the Libgcrypt libraries (in particular, the @samp{-lgcrypt}
258 option). The example shows how to link @file{foo.o} with the Libgcrypt
259 library to a program @command{foo}.
262 gcc -o foo foo.o `libgcrypt-config --libs`
265 Of course you can also combine both examples to a single command by
266 specifying both options to @command{libgcrypt-config}:
269 gcc -o foo foo.c `libgcrypt-config --cflags --libs`
272 @node Building sources using Automake
273 @section Building sources using Automake
275 It is much easier if you use GNU Automake instead of writing your own
276 Makefiles. If you do that, you do not have to worry about finding and
277 invoking the @command{libgcrypt-config} script at all.
278 Libgcrypt provides an extension to Automake that does all
281 @c A simple macro for optional variables.
283 @r{[}@var{\varname\}@r{]}
285 @defmac AM_PATH_LIBGCRYPT (@ovar{minimum-version}, @ovar{action-if-found}, @ovar{action-if-not-found})
286 Check whether Libgcrypt (at least version
287 @var{minimum-version}, if given) exists on the host system. If it is
288 found, execute @var{action-if-found}, otherwise do
289 @var{action-if-not-found}, if given.
291 Additionally, the function defines @code{LIBGCRYPT_CFLAGS} to the
292 flags needed for compilation of the program to find the
293 @file{gcrypt.h} header file, and @code{LIBGCRYPT_LIBS} to the linker
294 flags needed to link the program to the Libgcrypt library.
297 You can use the defined Autoconf variables like this in your
301 AM_CPPFLAGS = $(LIBGCRYPT_CFLAGS)
302 LDADD = $(LIBGCRYPT_LIBS)
305 @node Initializing the library
306 @section Initializing the library
308 Before the library can be used, it must initialize itself. This is
309 achieved by invoking the function @code{gcry_check_version} described
312 Also, it is often desirable to check that the version of
313 Libgcrypt used is indeed one which fits all requirements.
314 Even with binary compatibility, new features may have been introduced,
315 but due to problem with the dynamic linker an old version may actually
316 be used. So you may want to check that the version is okay right
317 after program startup.
319 @deftypefun {const char *} gcry_check_version (const char *@var{req_version})
321 The function @code{gcry_check_version} initializes some subsystems used
322 by Libgcrypt and must be invoked before any other function in the
323 library, with the exception of the @code{GCRYCTL_SET_THREAD_CBS} command
324 (called via the @code{gcry_control} function).
325 @xref{Multi-Threading}.
327 Furthermore, this function returns the version number of the library.
328 It can also verify that the version number is higher than a certain
329 required version number @var{req_version}, if this value is not a null
333 Libgcrypt uses a concept known as secure memory, which is a region of
334 memory set aside for storing sensitive data. Because such memory is a
335 scarce resource, it needs to be setup in advanced to a fixed size.
336 Further, most operating systems have special requirements on how that
337 secure memory can be used. For example, it might be required to install
338 an application as ``setuid(root)'' to allow allocating such memory.
339 Libgcrypt requires a sequence of initialization steps to make sure that
340 this works correctly. The following examples show the necessary steps.
342 If you don't have a need for secure memory, for example if your
343 application does not use secret keys or other confidential data or it
344 runs in a controlled environment where key material floating around in
345 memory is not a problem, you should initialize Libgcrypt this way:
348 /* Version check should be the very first call because it
349 makes sure that important subsystems are intialized. */
350 if (!gcry_check_version (GCRYPT_VERSION))
352 fputs ("libgcrypt version mismatch\n", stderr);
356 /* Disable secure memory. */
357 gcry_control (GCRYCTL_DISABLE_SECMEM, 0);
359 /* ... If required, other initialization goes here. */
361 /* Tell Libgcrypt that initialization has completed. */
362 gcry_control (GCRYCTL_INITIALIZATION_FINISHED, 0);
366 If you have to protect your keys or other information in memory against
367 being swapped out to disk and to enable an automatic overwrite of used
368 and freed memory, you need to initialize Libgcrypt this way:
371 /* Version check should be the very first call because it
372 makes sure that important subsystems are intialized. */
373 if (!gcry_check_version (GCRYPT_VERSION))
375 fputs ("libgcrypt version mismatch\n", stderr);
379 @anchor{sample-use-suspend-secmem}
380 /* We don't want to see any warnings, e.g. because we have not yet
381 parsed program options which might be used to suppress such
383 gcry_control (GCRYCTL_SUSPEND_SECMEM_WARN);
385 /* ... If required, other initialization goes here. Note that the
386 process might still be running with increased privileges and that
387 the secure memory has not been intialized. */
389 /* Allocate a pool of 16k secure memory. This make the secure memory
390 available and also drops privileges where needed. */
391 gcry_control (GCRYCTL_INIT_SECMEM, 16384, 0);
393 @anchor{sample-use-resume-secmem}
394 /* It is now okay to let Libgcrypt complain when there was/is
395 a problem with the secure memory. */
396 gcry_control (GCRYCTL_RESUME_SECMEM_WARN);
398 /* ... If required, other initialization goes here. */
400 /* Tell Libgcrypt that initialization has completed. */
401 gcry_control (GCRYCTL_INITIALIZATION_FINISHED, 0);
404 It is important that these initialization steps are not done by a
405 library but by the actual application. A library using Libgcrypt might
406 want to check for finished initialization using:
409 if (!gcry_control (GCRYCTL_INITIALIZATION_FINISHED_P))
411 fputs ("libgcrypt has not been initialized\n", stderr);
416 Instead of terminating the process, the library may instead print a
417 warning and try to initialize Libgcrypt itself. See also the section on
418 multi-threading below for more pitfalls.
422 @node Multi-Threading
423 @section Multi-Threading
425 As mentioned earlier, the Libgcrypt library is
426 thread-safe if you adhere to the following requirements:
430 If your application is multi-threaded, you must set the thread support
431 callbacks with the @code{GCRYCTL_SET_THREAD_CBS} command
432 @strong{before} any other function in the library.
434 This is easy enough if you are indeed writing an application using
435 Libgcrypt. It is rather problematic if you are writing a library
436 instead. Here are some tips what to do if you are writing a library:
438 If your library requires a certain thread package, just initialize
439 Libgcrypt to use this thread package. If your library supports multiple
440 thread packages, but needs to be configured, you will have to
441 implement a way to determine which thread package the application
442 wants to use with your library anyway. Then configure Libgcrypt to use
445 If your library is fully reentrant without any special support by a
446 thread package, then you are lucky indeed. Unfortunately, this does
447 not relieve you from doing either of the two above, or use a third
448 option. The third option is to let the application initialize Libgcrypt
449 for you. Then you are not using Libgcrypt transparently, though.
451 As if this was not difficult enough, a conflict may arise if two
452 libraries try to initialize Libgcrypt independently of each others, and
453 both such libraries are then linked into the same application. To
454 make it a bit simpler for you, this will probably work, but only if
455 both libraries have the same requirement for the thread package. This
456 is currently only supported for the non-threaded case, GNU Pth and
457 pthread. Support for more thread packages is easy to add, so contact
458 us if you require it.
461 The function @code{gcry_check_version} must be called before any other
462 function in the library, except the @code{GCRYCTL_SET_THREAD_CBS}
463 command (called via the @code{gcry_control} function), because it
464 initializes the thread support subsystem in Libgcrypt. To
465 achieve this in multi-threaded programs, you must synchronize the
466 memory with respect to other threads that also want to use
467 Libgcrypt. For this, it is sufficient to call
468 @code{gcry_check_version} before creating the other threads using
469 Libgcrypt@footnote{At least this is true for POSIX threads,
470 as @code{pthread_create} is a function that synchronizes memory with
471 respects to other threads. There are many functions which have this
472 property, a complete list can be found in POSIX, IEEE Std 1003.1-2003,
473 Base Definitions, Issue 6, in the definition of the term ``Memory
474 Synchronization''. For other thread packages, more relaxed or more
475 strict rules may apply.}.
478 Just like the function @code{gpg_strerror}, the function
479 @code{gcry_strerror} is not thread safe. You have to use
480 @code{gpg_strerror_r} instead.
485 Libgcrypt contains convenient macros, which define the
486 necessary thread callbacks for PThread and for GNU Pth:
489 @item GCRY_THREAD_OPTION_PTH_IMPL
491 This macro defines the following (static) symbols:
492 @code{gcry_pth_init}, @code{gcry_pth_mutex_init},
493 @code{gcry_pth_mutex_destroy}, @code{gcry_pth_mutex_lock},
494 @code{gcry_pth_mutex_unlock}, @code{gcry_pth_read},
495 @code{gcry_pth_write}, @code{gcry_pth_select},
496 @code{gcry_pth_waitpid}, @code{gcry_pth_accept},
497 @code{gcry_pth_connect}, @code{gcry_threads_pth}.
499 After including this macro, @code{gcry_control()} shall be used with a
500 command of @code{GCRYCTL_SET_THREAD_CBS} in order to register the
501 thread callback structure named ``gcry_threads_pth''.
503 @item GCRY_THREAD_OPTION_PTHREAD_IMPL
505 This macro defines the following (static) symbols:
506 @code{gcry_pthread_mutex_init}, @code{gcry_pthread_mutex_destroy},
507 @code{gcry_pthread_mutex_lock}, @code{gcry_pthread_mutex_unlock},
508 @code{gcry_threads_pthread}.
510 After including this macro, @code{gcry_control()} shall be used with a
511 command of @code{GCRYCTL_SET_THREAD_CBS} in order to register the
512 thread callback structure named ``gcry_threads_pthread''.
515 Note that these macros need to be terminated with a semicolon. Keep
516 in mind that these are convenient macros for C programmers; C++
517 programmers might have to wrap these macros in an ``extern C'' body.
520 @node Enabling FIPS mode
521 @section How to enable the FIPS mode
524 Libgcrypt may be used in a FIPS 140-2 mode. Note, that this does not
525 necessary mean that Libcgrypt is an appoved FIPS 140-2 module. Check the
526 NIST database at @url{http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/STM/cmvp/} to see what
527 versions of Libgcrypt are approved.
529 Because FIPS 140 has certain restrictions on the use of cryptography
530 which are not always wanted, Libgcrypt needs to be put into FIPS mode
531 explicitly. Three alternative mechanisms are provided to switch
532 Libgcrypt into this mode:
536 If the file @file{/proc/sys/crypto/fips_enabled} exists and contains a
537 numeric value other than @code{0}, Libgcrypt is put into FIPS mode at
538 initialization time. Obviously this works only on systems with a
539 @code{proc} file system (i.e. GNU/Linux).
542 If the file @file{/etc/gcrypt/fips_enabled} exists, Libgcrypt is put
543 into FIPS mode at initialization time. Note that this filename is
544 hardwired and does not depend on any configuration options.
547 If the application requests FIPS mode using the control command
548 @code{GCRYCTL_FORCE_FIPS_MODE}. This must be done prior to any
549 initialization (i.e. before @code{gcry_check_version}).
553 @cindex Enforced FIPS mode
555 In addition to the standard FIPS mode, Libgcrypt may also be put into
556 an Enforced FIPS mode by writing a non-zero value into the file
557 @file{/etc/gcrypt/fips_enabled}. The Enforced FIPS mode helps to
558 detect applications which don't fulfill all requirements for using
559 Libgcrypt in FIPS mode (@pxref{FIPS Mode}).
561 Once Libgcrypt has been put into FIPS mode, it is not possible to
562 switch back to standard mode without terminating the process first.
563 If the logging verbosity level of Libgcrypt has been set to at least
564 2, the state transitions and the self-tests are logged.
568 @c **********************************************************
569 @c ******************* General ****************************
570 @c **********************************************************
572 @chapter Generalities
575 * Controlling the library:: Controlling Libgcrypt's behavior.
576 * Modules:: Description of extension modules.
577 * Error Handling:: Error codes and such.
580 @node Controlling the library
581 @section Controlling the library
583 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_control (enum gcry_ctl_cmds @var{cmd}, ...)
585 This function can be used to influence the general behavior of
586 Libgcrypt in several ways. Depending on @var{cmd}, more
587 arguments can or have to be provided.
590 @item GCRYCTL_ENABLE_M_GUARD; Arguments: none
591 This command enables the built-in memory guard. It must not be used to
592 activate the memory guard after the memory management has already been
593 used; therefore it can ONLY be used at initialization time. Note that
594 the memory guard is NOT used when the user of the library has set his
595 own memory management callbacks.
597 @item GCRYCTL_ENABLE_QUICK_RANDOM; Arguments: none
598 This command inhibits the use the very secure random quality level
599 (@code{GCRY_VERY_STRONG_RANDOM}) and degrades all request down to
600 @code{GCRY_STRONG_RANDOM}. In general this is not recommened. However,
601 for some applications the extra quality random Libgcrypt tries to create
602 is not justified and this option may help to get better performace.
603 Please check with a crypto expert whether this option can be used for
606 This option can only be used at initialization time.
609 @item GCRYCTL_DUMP_RANDOM_STATS; Arguments: none
610 This command dumps randum number generator related statistics to the
611 library's logging stream.
613 @item GCRYCTL_DUMP_MEMORY_STATS; Arguments: none
614 This command dumps memory managment related statistics to the library's
617 @item GCRYCTL_DUMP_SECMEM_STATS; Arguments: none
618 This command dumps secure memory manamgent related statistics to the
619 library's logging stream.
621 @item GCRYCTL_DROP_PRIVS; Arguments: none
622 This command disables the use of secure memory and drops the priviliges
623 of the current process. This command has not much use; the suggested way
624 to disable secure memory is to use @code{GCRYCTL_DISABLE_SECMEM} right
625 after initialization.
627 @item GCRYCTL_DISABLE_SECMEM; Arguments: none
628 This command disables the use of secure memory. If this command is
629 used in FIPS mode, FIPS mode will be disabled and the fucntion
630 @code{gcry_fips_mode_active} returns false. However, in Enforced FIPS
631 mode this command has no effect at all.
633 Many applications do not require secure memory, so they should disable
634 it right away. This command should be executed right after
635 @code{gcry_check_version}.
637 @item GCRYCTL_INIT_SECMEM; Arguments: int nbytes
638 This command is used to allocate a pool of secure memory and thus
639 enabling the use of secure memory. It also drops all extra privileges
640 the process has (i.e. if it is run as setuid (root)). If the argument
641 @var{nbytes} is 0, secure memory will be disabled. The minimum amount
642 of secure memory allocated is currently 16384 bytes; you may thus use a
643 value of 1 to request that default size.
645 @item GCRYCTL_TERM_SECMEM; Arguments: none
646 This command zeroises the secure memory and destroys the handler. The
647 secure memory pool may not be used anymore after running this command.
648 If the secure memory pool as already been destroyed, this command has
649 no effect. Applications might want to run this command from their
650 exit handler to make sure that the secure memory gets properly
651 destroyed. This command is not necessarily thread-safe but that
652 should not be needed in cleanup code. It may be called from a signal
655 @item GCRYCTL_DISABLE_SECMEM_WARN; Arguments: none
656 Disable warning messages about problems with the secure memory
657 subsystem. This command should be run right after
658 @code{gcry_check_version}.
660 @item GCRYCTL_SUSPEND_SECMEM_WARN; Arguments: none
661 Postpone warning messages from the secure memory subsystem.
662 @xref{sample-use-suspend-secmem,,the initialization example}, on how to
665 @item GCRYCTL_RESUME_SECMEM_WARN; Arguments: none
666 Resume warning messages from the secure memory subsystem.
667 @xref{sample-use-resume-secmem,,the initialization example}, on how to
670 @item GCRYCTL_USE_SECURE_RNDPOOL; Arguments: none
671 This command tells the PRNG to store random numbers in secure memory.
672 This command should be run right after @code{gcry_check_version} and not
673 later than the command GCRYCTL_INIT_SECMEM. Note that in FIPS mode the
674 secure memory is always used.
676 @item GCRYCTL_SET_RANDOM_SEED_FILE; Arguments: const char *filename
677 This command specifies the file, which is to be used as seed file for
678 the PRNG. If the seed file is registered prior to initialization of the
679 PRNG, the seed file's content (if it exists and seems to be valid) is
680 fed into the PRNG pool. After the seed file has been registered, the
681 PRNG can be signalled to write out the PRNG pool's content into the seed
682 file with the following command.
685 @item GCRYCTL_UPDATE_RANDOM_SEED_FILE; Arguments: none
686 Write out the PRNG pool's content into the registered seed file.
688 Multiple instances of the applications sharing the same random seed file
689 can be started in parallel, in which case they will read out the same
690 pool and then race for updating it (the last update overwrites earlier
691 updates). They will differentiate only by the weak entropy that is
692 added in read_seed_file based on the PID and clock, and up to 16 bytes
693 of weak random non-blockingly. The consequence is that the output of
694 these different instances is correlated to some extent. In a perfect
695 attack scenario, the attacker can control (or at least guess) the PID
696 and clock of the application, and drain the system's entropy pool to
697 reduce the "up to 16 bytes" above to 0. Then the dependencies of the
698 inital states of the pools are completely known. Note that this is not
699 an issue if random of @code{GCRY_VERY_STRONG_RANDOM} quality is
700 requested as in this case enough extra entropy gets mixed. It is also
701 not an issue when using Linux (rndlinux driver), because this one
702 guarantees to read full 16 bytes from /dev/urandom and thus there is no
703 way for an attacker without kernel access to control these 16 bytes.
705 @item GCRYCTL_SET_VERBOSITY; Arguments: int level
706 This command sets the verbosity of the logging. A level of 0 disables
707 all extra logging whereas positive numbers enable more verbose logging.
708 The level may be changed at any time but be aware that no memory
709 synchronization is done so the effect of this command might not
710 immediately show up in other threads. This command may even be used
711 prior to @code{gcry_check_version}.
713 @item GCRYCTL_SET_DEBUG_FLAGS; Arguments: unsigned int flags
714 Set the debug flag bits as given by the argument. Be aware that that no
715 memory synchronization is done so the effect of this command might not
716 immediately show up in other threads. The debug flags are not
717 considered part of the API and thus may change without notice. As of
718 now bit 0 enables debugging of cipher functions and bit 1 debugging of
719 multi-precision-integers. This command may even be used prior to
720 @code{gcry_check_version}.
722 @item GCRYCTL_CLEAR_DEBUG_FLAGS; Arguments: unsigned int flags
723 Set the debug flag bits as given by the argument. Be aware that that no
724 memory synchronization is done so the effect of this command might not
725 immediately show up in other threads. This command may even be used
726 prior to @code{gcry_check_version}.
728 @item GCRYCTL_DISABLE_INTERNAL_LOCKING; Arguments: none
729 This command does nothing. It exists only for backward compatibility.
731 @item GCRYCTL_ANY_INITIALIZATION_P; Arguments: none
732 This command returns true if the library has been basically initialized.
733 Such a basic initialization happens implicitly with many commands to get
734 certain internal subsystems running. The common and suggested way to
735 do this basic intialization is by calling gcry_check_version.
737 @item GCRYCTL_INITIALIZATION_FINISHED; Arguments: none
738 This command tells the libray that the application has finished the
741 @item GCRYCTL_INITIALIZATION_FINISHED_P; Arguments: none
742 This command returns true if the command@*
743 GCRYCTL_INITIALIZATION_FINISHED has already been run.
745 @item GCRYCTL_SET_THREAD_CBS; Arguments: struct ath_ops *ath_ops
746 This command registers a thread-callback structure.
747 @xref{Multi-Threading}.
749 @item GCRYCTL_FAST_POLL; Arguments: none
750 Run a fast random poll.
752 @item GCRYCTL_SET_RNDEGD_SOCKET; Arguments: const char *filename
753 This command may be used to override the default name of the EGD socket
754 to connect to. It may be used only during initialization as it is not
755 thread safe. Changing the socket name again is not supported. The
756 function may return an error if the given filename is too long for a
759 EGD is an alternative random gatherer, used only on systems lacking a
760 proper random device.
762 @item GCRYCTL_PRINT_CONFIG; Arguments: FILE *stream
763 This command dumps information pertaining to the configuration of the
764 library to the given stream. If NULL is given for @var{stream}, the log
765 system is used. This command may be used before the intialization has
766 been finished but not before a gcry_version_check.
768 @item GCRYCTL_OPERATIONAL_P; Arguments: none
769 This command returns true if the library is in an operational state.
770 This information makes only sense in FIPS mode. In contrast to other
771 functions, this is a pure test function and won't put the library into
772 FIPS mode or change the internal state. This command may be used before
773 the intialization has been finished but not before a gcry_version_check.
775 @item GCRYCTL_FIPS_MODE_P; Arguments: none
776 This command returns true if the library is in FIPS mode. Note, that
777 this is no indication about the current state of the library. This
778 command may be used before the intialization has been finished but not
779 before a gcry_version_check. An application may use this command or
780 the convenience macro below to check whether FIPS mode is actually
783 @deftypefun int gcry_fips_mode_active (void)
785 Returns true if the FIPS mode is active. Note that this is
786 implemented as a macro.
791 @item GCRYCTL_FORCE_FIPS_MODE; Arguments: none
792 Running this command puts the library into FIPS mode. If the library is
793 already in FIPS mode, a self-test is triggered and thus the library will
794 be put into operational state. This command may be used before a call
795 to gcry_check_version and that is actually the recommended way to let an
796 application switch the library into FIPS mode. Note that Libgcrypt will
797 reject an attempt to switch to fips mode during or after the intialization.
799 @item GCRYCTL_SELFTEST; Arguments: none
800 This may be used at anytime to have the library run all implemented
801 self-tests. It works in standard and in FIPS mode. Returns 0 on
802 success or an error code on failure.
812 Libgcrypt supports the use of `extension modules', which
813 implement algorithms in addition to those already built into the library
816 @deftp {Data type} gcry_module_t
817 This data type represents a `module'.
820 Functions registering modules provided by the user take a `module
821 specification structure' as input and return a value of
822 @code{gcry_module_t} and an ID that is unique in the modules'
823 category. This ID can be used to reference the newly registered
824 module. After registering a module successfully, the new functionality
825 should be able to be used through the normal functions provided by
826 Libgcrypt until it is unregistered again.
828 @c **********************************************************
829 @c ******************* Errors ****************************
830 @c **********************************************************
832 @section Error Handling
834 Many functions in Libgcrypt can return an error if they
835 fail. For this reason, the application should always catch the error
836 condition and take appropriate measures, for example by releasing the
837 resources and passing the error up to the caller, or by displaying a
838 descriptive message to the user and cancelling the operation.
840 Some error values do not indicate a system error or an error in the
841 operation, but the result of an operation that failed properly. For
842 example, if you try to decrypt a tempered message, the decryption will
843 fail. Another error value actually means that the end of a data
844 buffer or list has been reached. The following descriptions explain
845 for many error codes what they mean usually. Some error values have
846 specific meanings if returned by a certain functions. Such cases are
847 described in the documentation of those functions.
849 Libgcrypt uses the @code{libgpg-error} library. This allows to share
850 the error codes with other components of the GnuPG system, and to pass
851 error values transparently from the crypto engine, or some helper
852 application of the crypto engine, to the user. This way no
853 information is lost. As a consequence, Libgcrypt does not use its own
854 identifiers for error codes, but uses those provided by
855 @code{libgpg-error}. They usually start with @code{GPG_ERR_}.
857 However, Libgcrypt does provide aliases for the functions
858 defined in libgpg-error, which might be preferred for name space
862 Most functions in Libgcrypt return an error code in the case
863 of failure. For this reason, the application should always catch the
864 error condition and take appropriate measures, for example by
865 releasing the resources and passing the error up to the caller, or by
866 displaying a descriptive message to the user and canceling the
869 Some error values do not indicate a system error or an error in the
870 operation, but the result of an operation that failed properly.
872 GnuPG components, including Libgcrypt, use an extra library named
873 libgpg-error to provide a common error handling scheme. For more
874 information on libgpg-error, see the according manual.
877 * Error Values:: The error value and what it means.
878 * Error Sources:: A list of important error sources.
879 * Error Codes:: A list of important error codes.
880 * Error Strings:: How to get a descriptive string from a value.
885 @subsection Error Values
888 @cindex error sources
890 @deftp {Data type} {gcry_err_code_t}
891 The @code{gcry_err_code_t} type is an alias for the
892 @code{libgpg-error} type @code{gpg_err_code_t}. The error code
893 indicates the type of an error, or the reason why an operation failed.
895 A list of important error codes can be found in the next section.
898 @deftp {Data type} {gcry_err_source_t}
899 The @code{gcry_err_source_t} type is an alias for the
900 @code{libgpg-error} type @code{gpg_err_source_t}. The error source
901 has not a precisely defined meaning. Sometimes it is the place where
902 the error happened, sometimes it is the place where an error was
903 encoded into an error value. Usually the error source will give an
904 indication to where to look for the problem. This is not always true,
905 but it is attempted to achieve this goal.
907 A list of important error sources can be found in the next section.
910 @deftp {Data type} {gcry_error_t}
911 The @code{gcry_error_t} type is an alias for the @code{libgpg-error}
912 type @code{gpg_error_t}. An error value like this has always two
913 components, an error code and an error source. Both together form the
916 Thus, the error value can not be directly compared against an error
917 code, but the accessor functions described below must be used.
918 However, it is guaranteed that only 0 is used to indicate success
919 (@code{GPG_ERR_NO_ERROR}), and that in this case all other parts of
920 the error value are set to 0, too.
922 Note that in Libgcrypt, the error source is used purely for
923 diagnostic purposes. Only the error code should be checked to test
924 for a certain outcome of a function. The manual only documents the
925 error code part of an error value. The error source is left
926 unspecified and might be anything.
929 @deftypefun {gcry_err_code_t} gcry_err_code (@w{gcry_error_t @var{err}})
930 The static inline function @code{gcry_err_code} returns the
931 @code{gcry_err_code_t} component of the error value @var{err}. This
932 function must be used to extract the error code from an error value in
933 order to compare it with the @code{GPG_ERR_*} error code macros.
936 @deftypefun {gcry_err_source_t} gcry_err_source (@w{gcry_error_t @var{err}})
937 The static inline function @code{gcry_err_source} returns the
938 @code{gcry_err_source_t} component of the error value @var{err}. This
939 function must be used to extract the error source from an error value in
940 order to compare it with the @code{GPG_ERR_SOURCE_*} error source macros.
943 @deftypefun {gcry_error_t} gcry_err_make (@w{gcry_err_source_t @var{source}}, @w{gcry_err_code_t @var{code}})
944 The static inline function @code{gcry_err_make} returns the error
945 value consisting of the error source @var{source} and the error code
948 This function can be used in callback functions to construct an error
949 value to return it to the library.
952 @deftypefun {gcry_error_t} gcry_error (@w{gcry_err_code_t @var{code}})
953 The static inline function @code{gcry_error} returns the error value
954 consisting of the default error source and the error code @var{code}.
956 For @acronym{GCRY} applications, the default error source is
957 @code{GPG_ERR_SOURCE_USER_1}. You can define
958 @code{GCRY_ERR_SOURCE_DEFAULT} before including @file{gcrypt.h} to
961 This function can be used in callback functions to construct an error
962 value to return it to the library.
965 The @code{libgpg-error} library provides error codes for all system
966 error numbers it knows about. If @var{err} is an unknown error
967 number, the error code @code{GPG_ERR_UNKNOWN_ERRNO} is used. The
968 following functions can be used to construct error values from system
971 @deftypefun {gcry_error_t} gcry_err_make_from_errno (@w{gcry_err_source_t @var{source}}, @w{int @var{err}})
972 The function @code{gcry_err_make_from_errno} is like
973 @code{gcry_err_make}, but it takes a system error like @code{errno}
974 instead of a @code{gcry_err_code_t} error code.
977 @deftypefun {gcry_error_t} gcry_error_from_errno (@w{int @var{err}})
978 The function @code{gcry_error_from_errno} is like @code{gcry_error},
979 but it takes a system error like @code{errno} instead of a
980 @code{gcry_err_code_t} error code.
983 Sometimes you might want to map system error numbers to error codes
984 directly, or map an error code representing a system error back to the
985 system error number. The following functions can be used to do that.
987 @deftypefun {gcry_err_code_t} gcry_err_code_from_errno (@w{int @var{err}})
988 The function @code{gcry_err_code_from_errno} returns the error code
989 for the system error @var{err}. If @var{err} is not a known system
990 error, the function returns @code{GPG_ERR_UNKNOWN_ERRNO}.
993 @deftypefun {int} gcry_err_code_to_errno (@w{gcry_err_code_t @var{err}})
994 The function @code{gcry_err_code_to_errno} returns the system error
995 for the error code @var{err}. If @var{err} is not an error code
996 representing a system error, or if this system error is not defined on
997 this system, the function returns @code{0}.
1002 @subsection Error Sources
1003 @cindex error codes, list of
1005 The library @code{libgpg-error} defines an error source for every
1006 component of the GnuPG system. The error source part of an error
1007 value is not well defined. As such it is mainly useful to improve the
1008 diagnostic error message for the user.
1010 If the error code part of an error value is @code{0}, the whole error
1011 value will be @code{0}. In this case the error source part is of
1012 course @code{GPG_ERR_SOURCE_UNKNOWN}.
1014 The list of error sources that might occur in applications using
1015 @acronym{Libgcrypt} is:
1018 @item GPG_ERR_SOURCE_UNKNOWN
1019 The error source is not known. The value of this error source is
1022 @item GPG_ERR_SOURCE_GPGME
1023 The error source is @acronym{GPGME} itself.
1025 @item GPG_ERR_SOURCE_GPG
1026 The error source is GnuPG, which is the crypto engine used for the
1029 @item GPG_ERR_SOURCE_GPGSM
1030 The error source is GPGSM, which is the crypto engine used for the
1033 @item GPG_ERR_SOURCE_GCRYPT
1034 The error source is @code{libgcrypt}, which is used by crypto engines
1035 to perform cryptographic operations.
1037 @item GPG_ERR_SOURCE_GPGAGENT
1038 The error source is @command{gpg-agent}, which is used by crypto
1039 engines to perform operations with the secret key.
1041 @item GPG_ERR_SOURCE_PINENTRY
1042 The error source is @command{pinentry}, which is used by
1043 @command{gpg-agent} to query the passphrase to unlock a secret key.
1045 @item GPG_ERR_SOURCE_SCD
1046 The error source is the SmartCard Daemon, which is used by
1047 @command{gpg-agent} to delegate operations with the secret key to a
1050 @item GPG_ERR_SOURCE_KEYBOX
1051 The error source is @code{libkbx}, a library used by the crypto
1052 engines to manage local keyrings.
1054 @item GPG_ERR_SOURCE_USER_1
1055 @item GPG_ERR_SOURCE_USER_2
1056 @item GPG_ERR_SOURCE_USER_3
1057 @item GPG_ERR_SOURCE_USER_4
1058 These error sources are not used by any GnuPG component and can be
1059 used by other software. For example, applications using
1060 Libgcrypt can use them to mark error values coming from callback
1061 handlers. Thus @code{GPG_ERR_SOURCE_USER_1} is the default for errors
1062 created with @code{gcry_error} and @code{gcry_error_from_errno},
1063 unless you define @code{GCRY_ERR_SOURCE_DEFAULT} before including
1069 @subsection Error Codes
1070 @cindex error codes, list of
1072 The library @code{libgpg-error} defines many error values. The
1073 following list includes the most important error codes.
1077 This value indicates the end of a list, buffer or file.
1079 @item GPG_ERR_NO_ERROR
1080 This value indicates success. The value of this error code is
1081 @code{0}. Also, it is guaranteed that an error value made from the
1082 error code @code{0} will be @code{0} itself (as a whole). This means
1083 that the error source information is lost for this error code,
1084 however, as this error code indicates that no error occurred, this is
1085 generally not a problem.
1087 @item GPG_ERR_GENERAL
1088 This value means that something went wrong, but either there is not
1089 enough information about the problem to return a more useful error
1090 value, or there is no separate error value for this type of problem.
1092 @item GPG_ERR_ENOMEM
1093 This value means that an out-of-memory condition occurred.
1096 System errors are mapped to GPG_ERR_EFOO where FOO is the symbol for
1099 @item GPG_ERR_INV_VALUE
1100 This value means that some user provided data was out of range.
1102 @item GPG_ERR_UNUSABLE_PUBKEY
1103 This value means that some recipients for a message were invalid.
1105 @item GPG_ERR_UNUSABLE_SECKEY
1106 This value means that some signers were invalid.
1108 @item GPG_ERR_NO_DATA
1109 This value means that data was expected where no data was found.
1111 @item GPG_ERR_CONFLICT
1112 This value means that a conflict of some sort occurred.
1114 @item GPG_ERR_NOT_IMPLEMENTED
1115 This value indicates that the specific function (or operation) is not
1116 implemented. This error should never happen. It can only occur if
1117 you use certain values or configuration options which do not work,
1118 but for which we think that they should work at some later time.
1120 @item GPG_ERR_DECRYPT_FAILED
1121 This value indicates that a decryption operation was unsuccessful.
1123 @item GPG_ERR_WRONG_KEY_USAGE
1124 This value indicates that a key is not used appropriately.
1126 @item GPG_ERR_NO_SECKEY
1127 This value indicates that no secret key for the user ID is available.
1129 @item GPG_ERR_UNSUPPORTED_ALGORITHM
1130 This value means a verification failed because the cryptographic
1131 algorithm is not supported by the crypto backend.
1133 @item GPG_ERR_BAD_SIGNATURE
1134 This value means a verification failed because the signature is bad.
1136 @item GPG_ERR_NO_PUBKEY
1137 This value means a verification failed because the public key is not
1140 @item GPG_ERR_NOT_OPERATIONAL
1141 This value means that the library is not yet in state which allows to
1142 use this function. This error code is in particular returned if
1143 Libgcrypt is operated in FIPS mode and the internal state of the
1144 library does not yet or not anymore allow the use of a service.
1146 This error code is only available with newer libgpg-error versions, thus
1147 you might see ``invalid error code'' when passing this to
1148 @code{gpg_strerror}. The numeric value of this error code is 176.
1150 @item GPG_ERR_USER_1
1151 @item GPG_ERR_USER_2
1153 @item GPG_ERR_USER_16
1154 These error codes are not used by any GnuPG component and can be
1155 freely used by other software. Applications using Libgcrypt
1156 might use them to mark specific errors returned by callback handlers
1157 if no suitable error codes (including the system errors) for these
1158 errors exist already.
1163 @subsection Error Strings
1164 @cindex error values, printing of
1165 @cindex error codes, printing of
1166 @cindex error sources, printing of
1167 @cindex error strings
1169 @deftypefun {const char *} gcry_strerror (@w{gcry_error_t @var{err}})
1170 The function @code{gcry_strerror} returns a pointer to a statically
1171 allocated string containing a description of the error code contained
1172 in the error value @var{err}. This string can be used to output a
1173 diagnostic message to the user.
1177 @deftypefun {const char *} gcry_strsource (@w{gcry_error_t @var{err}})
1178 The function @code{gcry_strerror} returns a pointer to a statically
1179 allocated string containing a description of the error source
1180 contained in the error value @var{err}. This string can be used to
1181 output a diagnostic message to the user.
1184 The following example illustrates the use of the functions described
1189 gcry_cipher_hd_t handle;
1190 gcry_error_t err = 0;
1192 err = gcry_cipher_open (&handle, GCRY_CIPHER_AES,
1193 GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_CBC, 0);
1196 fprintf (stderr, "Failure: %s/%s\n",
1197 gcry_strsource (err),
1198 gcry_strerror (err));
1203 @c **********************************************************
1204 @c ******************* General ****************************
1205 @c **********************************************************
1206 @node Handler Functions
1207 @chapter Handler Functions
1209 Libgcrypt makes it possible to install so called `handler functions',
1210 which get called by Libgcrypt in case of certain events.
1213 * Progress handler:: Using a progress handler function.
1214 * Allocation handler:: Using special memory allocation functions.
1215 * Error handler:: Using error handler functions.
1216 * Logging handler:: Using a special logging function.
1219 @node Progress handler
1220 @section Progress handler
1222 It is often useful to retrieve some feedback while long running
1223 operations are performed.
1225 @deftp {Data type} gcry_handler_progress_t
1226 Progress handler functions have to be of the type
1227 @code{gcry_handler_progress_t}, which is defined as:
1229 @code{void (*gcry_handler_progress_t) (void *, const char *, int, int, int)}
1232 The following function may be used to register a handler function for
1235 @deftypefun void gcry_set_progress_handler (gcry_handler_progress_t @var{cb}, void *@var{cb_data})
1237 This function installs @var{cb} as the `Progress handler' function.
1238 @var{cb} must be defined as follows:
1242 my_progress_handler (void *@var{cb_data}, const char *@var{what},
1243 int @var{printchar}, int @var{current}, int @var{total})
1249 A description of the arguments of the progress handler function follows.
1253 The argument provided in the call to @code{gcry_set_progress_handler}.
1255 A string identifying the type of the progress output. The following
1256 values for @var{what} are defined:
1260 Not enough entropy is available. @var{total} holds the number of
1264 Values for @var{printchar}:
1269 Need to refresh the pool of prime numbers.
1271 Number of bits adjusted.
1273 Searching for a generator.
1275 Fermat test on 10 candidates failed.
1277 Restart with a new random value.
1279 Rabin Miller test passed.
1287 @node Allocation handler
1288 @section Allocation handler
1290 It is possible to make Libgcrypt use special memory
1291 allocation functions instead of the built-in ones.
1293 Memory allocation functions are of the following types:
1294 @deftp {Data type} gcry_handler_alloc_t
1295 This type is defined as: @code{void *(*gcry_handler_alloc_t) (size_t n)}.
1297 @deftp {Data type} gcry_handler_secure_check_t
1298 This type is defined as: @code{int *(*gcry_handler_secure_check_t) (const void *)}.
1300 @deftp {Data type} gcry_handler_realloc_t
1301 This type is defined as: @code{void *(*gcry_handler_realloc_t) (void *p, size_t n)}.
1303 @deftp {Data type} gcry_handler_free_t
1304 This type is defined as: @code{void *(*gcry_handler_free_t) (void *)}.
1307 Special memory allocation functions can be installed with the
1310 @deftypefun void gcry_set_allocation_handler (gcry_handler_alloc_t @var{func_alloc}, gcry_handler_alloc_t @var{func_alloc_secure}, gcry_handler_secure_check_t @var{func_secure_check}, gcry_handler_realloc_t @var{func_realloc}, gcry_handler_free_t @var{func_free})
1311 Install the provided functions and use them instead of the built-in
1312 functions for doing memory allocation.
1316 @section Error handler
1318 The following functions may be used to register handler functions that
1319 are called by Libgcrypt in case certain error conditions occur. They
1320 may and should be registered prior to calling @code{gcry_check_version}.
1322 @deftp {Data type} gcry_handler_no_mem_t
1323 This type is defined as: @code{void (*gcry_handler_no_mem_t) (void *, size_t, unsigned int)}
1325 @deftypefun void gcry_set_outofcore_handler (gcry_handler_no_mem_t @var{func_no_mem}, void *@var{cb_data})
1326 This function registers @var{func_no_mem} as `out-of-core handler',
1327 which means that it will be called in the case of not having enough
1331 @deftp {Data type} gcry_handler_error_t
1332 This type is defined as: @code{void (*gcry_handler_error_t) (void *, int, const char *)}
1335 @deftypefun void gcry_set_fatalerror_handler (gcry_handler_error_t @var{func_error}, void *@var{cb_data})
1336 This function registers @var{func_error} as `error handler',
1337 which means that it will be called in error conditions.
1340 @node Logging handler
1341 @section Logging handler
1343 @deftp {Data type} gcry_handler_log_t
1344 This type is defined as: @code{void (*gcry_handler_log_t) (void *, int, const char *, va_list)}
1347 @deftypefun void gcry_set_log_handler (gcry_handler_log_t @var{func_log}, void *@var{cb_data})
1348 This function registers @var{func_log} as `logging handler', which means
1349 that it will be called in case Libgcrypt wants to log a message. This
1350 function may and should be used prior to calling
1351 @code{gcry_check_version}.
1354 @c **********************************************************
1355 @c ******************* Ciphers ****************************
1356 @c **********************************************************
1357 @c @include cipher-ref.texi
1358 @node Symmetric cryptography
1359 @chapter Symmetric cryptography
1361 The cipher functions are used for symmetrical cryptography,
1362 i.e. cryptography using a shared key. The programming model follows
1363 an open/process/close paradigm and is in that similar to other
1364 building blocks provided by Libgcrypt.
1367 * Available ciphers:: List of ciphers supported by the library.
1368 * Cipher modules:: How to work with cipher modules.
1369 * Available cipher modes:: List of cipher modes supported by the library.
1370 * Working with cipher handles:: How to perform operations related to cipher handles.
1371 * General cipher functions:: General cipher functions independent of cipher handles.
1374 @node Available ciphers
1375 @section Available ciphers
1378 @item GCRY_CIPHER_NONE
1379 This is not a real algorithm but used by some functions as error return.
1380 The value always evaluates to false.
1382 @item GCRY_CIPHER_IDEA
1384 This is the IDEA algorithm. The constant is provided but there is
1385 currently no implementation for it because the algorithm is patented.
1387 @item GCRY_CIPHER_3DES
1391 @cindex Digital Encryption Standard
1392 Triple-DES with 3 Keys as EDE. The key size of this algorithm is 168 but
1393 you have to pass 192 bits because the most significant bits of each byte
1396 @item GCRY_CIPHER_CAST5
1398 CAST128-5 block cipher algorithm. The key size is 128 bits.
1400 @item GCRY_CIPHER_BLOWFISH
1402 The blowfish algorithm. The current implementation allows only for a key
1405 @item GCRY_CIPHER_SAFER_SK128
1406 Reserved and not currently implemented.
1408 @item GCRY_CIPHER_DES_SK
1409 Reserved and not currently implemented.
1411 @item GCRY_CIPHER_AES
1412 @itemx GCRY_CIPHER_AES128
1413 @itemx GCRY_CIPHER_RIJNDAEL
1414 @itemx GCRY_CIPHER_RIJNDAEL128
1417 @cindex Advanced Encryption Standard
1418 AES (Rijndael) with a 128 bit key.
1420 @item GCRY_CIPHER_AES192
1421 @itemx GCRY_CIPHER_RIJNDAEL192
1422 AES (Rijndael) with a 192 bit key.
1424 @item GCRY_CIPHER_AES256
1425 @itemx GCRY_CIPHER_RIJNDAEL256
1426 AES (Rijndael) with a 256 bit key.
1428 @item GCRY_CIPHER_TWOFISH
1430 The Twofish algorithm with a 256 bit key.
1432 @item GCRY_CIPHER_TWOFISH128
1433 The Twofish algorithm with a 128 bit key.
1435 @item GCRY_CIPHER_ARCFOUR
1438 An algorithm which is 100% compatible with RSA Inc.'s RC4 algorithm.
1439 Note that this is a stream cipher and must be used very carefully to
1440 avoid a couple of weaknesses.
1442 @item GCRY_CIPHER_DES
1444 Standard DES with a 56 bit key. You need to pass 64 bit but the high
1445 bits of each byte are ignored. Note, that this is a weak algorithm
1446 which can be broken in reasonable time using a brute force approach.
1448 @item GCRY_CIPHER_SERPENT128
1449 @itemx GCRY_CIPHER_SERPENT192
1450 @itemx GCRY_CIPHER_SERPENT256
1452 The Serpent cipher from the AES contest.
1454 @item GCRY_CIPHER_RFC2268_40
1455 @itemx GCRY_CIPHER_RFC2268_128
1458 Ron's Cipher 2 in the 40 and 128 bit variants. Note, that we currently
1459 only support the 40 bit variant. The identifier for 128 is reserved for
1462 @item GCRY_CIPHER_SEED
1463 @cindex Seed (cipher)
1464 A 128 bit cipher as described by RFC4269.
1466 @item GCRY_CIPHER_CAMELLIA128
1467 @itemx GCRY_CIPHER_CAMELLIA192
1468 @itemx GCRY_CIPHER_CAMELLIA256
1470 The Camellia cipher by NTT. See
1471 @uref{http://info.isl.ntt.co.jp/@/crypt/@/eng/@/camellia/@/specifications.html}.
1475 @node Cipher modules
1476 @section Cipher modules
1478 Libgcrypt makes it possible to load additional `cipher modules'; these
1479 ciphers can be used just like the cipher algorithms that are built
1480 into the library directly. For an introduction into extension
1481 modules, see @xref{Modules}.
1483 @deftp {Data type} gcry_cipher_spec_t
1484 This is the `module specification structure' needed for registering
1485 cipher modules, which has to be filled in by the user before it can be
1486 used to register a module. It contains the following members:
1489 @item const char *name
1490 The primary name of the algorithm.
1491 @item const char **aliases
1492 A list of strings that are `aliases' for the algorithm. The list must
1493 be terminated with a NULL element.
1494 @item gcry_cipher_oid_spec_t *oids
1495 A list of OIDs that are to be associated with the algorithm. The
1496 list's last element must have it's `oid' member set to NULL. See
1497 below for an explanation of this type.
1498 @item size_t blocksize
1499 The block size of the algorithm, in bytes.
1501 The length of the key, in bits.
1502 @item size_t contextsize
1503 The size of the algorithm-specific `context', that should be allocated
1505 @item gcry_cipher_setkey_t setkey
1506 The function responsible for initializing a handle with a provided
1507 key. See below for a description of this type.
1508 @item gcry_cipher_encrypt_t encrypt
1509 The function responsible for encrypting a single block. See below for
1510 a description of this type.
1511 @item gcry_cipher_decrypt_t decrypt
1512 The function responsible for decrypting a single block. See below for
1513 a description of this type.
1514 @item gcry_cipher_stencrypt_t stencrypt
1515 Like `encrypt', for stream ciphers. See below for a description of
1517 @item gcry_cipher_stdecrypt_t stdecrypt
1518 Like `decrypt', for stream ciphers. See below for a description of
1523 @deftp {Data type} gcry_cipher_oid_spec_t
1524 This type is used for associating a user-provided algorithm
1525 implementation with certain OIDs. It contains the following members:
1527 @item const char *oid
1528 Textual representation of the OID.
1530 Cipher mode for which this OID is valid.
1534 @deftp {Data type} gcry_cipher_setkey_t
1535 Type for the `setkey' function, defined as: gcry_err_code_t
1536 (*gcry_cipher_setkey_t) (void *c, const unsigned char *key, unsigned
1540 @deftp {Data type} gcry_cipher_encrypt_t
1541 Type for the `encrypt' function, defined as: gcry_err_code_t
1542 (*gcry_cipher_encrypt_t) (void *c, const unsigned char *outbuf, const
1543 unsigned char *inbuf)
1546 @deftp {Data type} gcry_cipher_decrypt_t
1547 Type for the `decrypt' function, defined as: gcry_err_code_t
1548 (*gcry_cipher_decrypt_t) (void *c, const unsigned char *outbuf, const
1549 unsigned char *inbuf)
1552 @deftp {Data type} gcry_cipher_stencrypt_t
1553 Type for the `stencrypt' function, defined as: gcry_err_code_t
1554 (*gcry_@/cipher_@/stencrypt_@/t) (void *c, const unsigned char *outbuf, const
1555 unsigned char *, unsigned int n)
1558 @deftp {Data type} gcry_cipher_stdecrypt_t
1559 Type for the `stdecrypt' function, defined as: gcry_err_code_t
1560 (*gcry_@/cipher_@/stdecrypt_@/t) (void *c, const unsigned char *outbuf, const
1561 unsigned char *, unsigned int n)
1564 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_cipher_register (gcry_cipher_spec_t *@var{cipher}, unsigned int *algorithm_id, gcry_module_t *@var{module})
1566 Register a new cipher module whose specification can be found in
1567 @var{cipher}. On success, a new algorithm ID is stored in
1568 @var{algorithm_id} and a pointer representing this module is stored
1572 @deftypefun void gcry_cipher_unregister (gcry_module_t @var{module})
1573 Unregister the cipher identified by @var{module}, which must have been
1574 registered with gcry_cipher_register.
1577 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_cipher_list (int *@var{list}, int *@var{list_length})
1578 Get a list consisting of the IDs of the loaded cipher modules. If
1579 @var{list} is zero, write the number of loaded cipher modules to
1580 @var{list_length} and return. If @var{list} is non-zero, the first
1581 *@var{list_length} algorithm IDs are stored in @var{list}, which must
1582 be of according size. In case there are less cipher modules than
1583 *@var{list_length}, *@var{list_length} is updated to the correct
1587 @node Available cipher modes
1588 @section Available cipher modes
1591 @item GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_NONE
1592 No mode specified. This should not be used. The only exception is that
1593 if Libgcrypt is not used in FIPS mode and if any debug flag has been
1594 set, this mode may be used to bypass the actual encryption.
1596 @item GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_ECB
1597 @cindex ECB, Electronic Codebook mode
1598 Electronic Codebook mode.
1600 @item GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_CFB
1601 @cindex CFB, Cipher Feedback mode
1602 Cipher Feedback mode. The shift size equals the block size of the
1603 cipher (e.g. for AES it is CFB-128).
1605 @item GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_CBC
1606 @cindex CBC, Cipher Block Chaining mode
1607 Cipher Block Chaining mode.
1609 @item GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_STREAM
1610 Stream mode, only to be used with stream cipher algorithms.
1612 @item GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_OFB
1613 @cindex OFB, Output Feedback mode
1614 Output Feedback mode.
1616 @item GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_CTR
1617 @cindex CTR, Counter mode
1622 @node Working with cipher handles
1623 @section Working with cipher handles
1625 To use a cipher algorithm, you must first allocate an according
1626 handle. This is to be done using the open function:
1628 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_cipher_open (gcry_cipher_hd_t *@var{hd}, int @var{algo}, int @var{mode}, unsigned int @var{flags})
1630 This function creates the context handle required for most of the
1631 other cipher functions and returns a handle to it in `hd'. In case of
1632 an error, an according error code is returned.
1634 The ID of algorithm to use must be specified via @var{algo}. See
1635 @xref{Available ciphers}, for a list of supported ciphers and the
1636 according constants.
1638 Besides using the constants directly, the function
1639 @code{gcry_cipher_map_name} may be used to convert the textual name of
1640 an algorithm into the according numeric ID.
1642 The cipher mode to use must be specified via @var{mode}. See
1643 @xref{Available cipher modes}, for a list of supported cipher modes
1644 and the according constants. Note that some modes are incompatible
1645 with some algorithms - in particular, stream mode
1646 (@code{GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_STREAM}) only works with stream ciphers. Any
1647 block cipher mode (@code{GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_ECB},
1648 @code{GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_CBC}, @code{GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_CFB},
1649 @code{GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_OFB} or @code{GCRY_CIPHER_MODE_CTR}) will work
1650 with any block cipher algorithm.
1652 The third argument @var{flags} can either be passed as @code{0} or as
1653 the bit-wise OR of the following constants.
1656 @item GCRY_CIPHER_SECURE
1657 Make sure that all operations are allocated in secure memory. This is
1658 useful when the key material is highly confidential.
1659 @item GCRY_CIPHER_ENABLE_SYNC
1660 @cindex sync mode (OpenPGP)
1661 This flag enables the CFB sync mode, which is a special feature of
1662 Libgcrypt's CFB mode implementation to allow for OpenPGP's CFB variant.
1663 See @code{gcry_cipher_sync}.
1664 @item GCRY_CIPHER_CBC_CTS
1665 @cindex cipher text stealing
1666 Enable cipher text stealing (CTS) for the CBC mode. Cannot be used
1667 simultaneous as GCRY_CIPHER_CBC_MAC. CTS mode makes it possible to
1668 transform data of almost arbitrary size (only limitation is that it
1669 must be greater than the algorithm's block size).
1670 @item GCRY_CIPHER_CBC_MAC
1672 Compute CBC-MAC keyed checksums. This is the same as CBC mode, but
1673 only output the last block. Cannot be used simultaneous as
1674 GCRY_CIPHER_CBC_CTS.
1678 Use the following function to release an existing handle:
1680 @deftypefun void gcry_cipher_close (gcry_cipher_hd_t @var{h})
1682 This function releases the context created by @code{gcry_cipher_open}.
1685 In order to use a handle for performing cryptographic operations, a
1686 `key' has to be set first:
1688 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_cipher_setkey (gcry_cipher_hd_t @var{h}, const void *@var{k}, size_t @var{l})
1690 Set the key @var{k} used for encryption or decryption in the context
1691 denoted by the handle @var{h}. The length @var{l} of the key @var{k}
1692 must match the required length of the algorithm set for this context or
1693 be in the allowed range for algorithms with variable key size. The
1694 function checks this and returns an error if there is a problem. A
1695 caller should always check for an error.
1699 Most crypto modes requires an initialization vector (IV), which
1700 usually is a non-secret random string acting as a kind of salt value.
1701 The CTR mode requires a counter, which is also similar to a salt
1702 value. To set the IV or CTR, use these functions:
1704 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_cipher_setiv (gcry_cipher_hd_t @var{h}, const void *@var{k}, size_t @var{l})
1706 Set the initialization vector used for encryption or decryption. The
1707 vector is passed as the buffer @var{K} of length @var{l} and copied to
1708 internal data structures. The function checks that the IV matches the
1709 requirement of the selected algorithm and mode.
1712 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_cipher_setctr (gcry_cipher_hd_t @var{h}, const void *@var{c}, size_t @var{l})
1714 Set the counter vector used for encryption or decryption. The counter
1715 is passed as the buffer @var{c} of length @var{l} and copied to
1716 internal data structures. The function checks that the counter
1717 matches the requirement of the selected algorithm (i.e., it must be
1718 the same size as the block size).
1721 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_cipher_reset (gcry_cipher_hd_t @var{h})
1723 Set the given handle's context back to the state it had after the last
1724 call to gcry_cipher_setkey and clear the initialization vector.
1726 Note that gcry_cipher_reset is implemented as a macro.
1729 The actual encryption and decryption is done by using one of the
1730 following functions. They may be used as often as required to process
1733 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_cipher_encrypt (gcry_cipher_hd_t @var{h}, unsigned char *{out}, size_t @var{outsize}, const unsigned char *@var{in}, size_t @var{inlen})
1735 @code{gcry_cipher_encrypt} is used to encrypt the data. This function
1736 can either work in place or with two buffers. It uses the cipher
1737 context already setup and described by the handle @var{h}. There are 2
1738 ways to use the function: If @var{in} is passed as @code{NULL} and
1739 @var{inlen} is @code{0}, in-place encryption of the data in @var{out} or
1740 length @var{outsize} takes place. With @var{in} being not @code{NULL},
1741 @var{inlen} bytes are encrypted to the buffer @var{out} which must have
1742 at least a size of @var{inlen}. @var{outsize} must be set to the
1743 allocated size of @var{out}, so that the function can check that there
1744 is sufficient space. Note that overlapping buffers are not allowed.
1746 Depending on the selected algorithms and encryption mode, the length of
1747 the buffers must be a multiple of the block size.
1749 The function returns @code{0} on success or an error code.
1753 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_cipher_decrypt (gcry_cipher_hd_t @var{h}, unsigned char *{out}, size_t @var{outsize}, const unsigned char *@var{in}, size_t @var{inlen})
1755 @code{gcry_cipher_decrypt} is used to decrypt the data. This function
1756 can either work in place or with two buffers. It uses the cipher
1757 context already setup and described by the handle @var{h}. There are 2
1758 ways to use the function: If @var{in} is passed as @code{NULL} and
1759 @var{inlen} is @code{0}, in-place decryption of the data in @var{out} or
1760 length @var{outsize} takes place. With @var{in} being not @code{NULL},
1761 @var{inlen} bytes are decrypted to the buffer @var{out} which must have
1762 at least a size of @var{inlen}. @var{outsize} must be set to the
1763 allocated size of @var{out}, so that the function can check that there
1764 is sufficient space. Note that overlapping buffers are not allowed.
1766 Depending on the selected algorithms and encryption mode, the length of
1767 the buffers must be a multiple of the block size.
1769 The function returns @code{0} on success or an error code.
1773 OpenPGP (as defined in RFC-2440) requires a special sync operation in
1774 some places. The following function is used for this:
1776 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_cipher_sync (gcry_cipher_hd_t @var{h})
1778 Perform the OpenPGP sync operation on context @var{h}. Note that this
1779 is a no-op unless the context was created with the flag
1780 @code{GCRY_CIPHER_ENABLE_SYNC}
1783 Some of the described functions are implemented as macros utilizing a
1784 catch-all control function. This control function is rarely used
1785 directly but there is nothing which would inhibit it:
1787 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_cipher_ctl (gcry_cipher_hd_t @var{h}, int @var{cmd}, void *@var{buffer}, size_t @var{buflen})
1789 @code{gcry_cipher_ctl} controls various aspects of the cipher module and
1790 specific cipher contexts. Usually some more specialized functions or
1791 macros are used for this purpose. The semantics of the function and its
1792 parameters depends on the the command @var{cmd} and the passed context
1793 handle @var{h}. Please see the comments in the source code
1794 (@code{src/global.c}) for details.
1797 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_cipher_info (gcry_cipher_hd_t @var{h}, int @var{what}, void *@var{buffer}, size_t *@var{nbytes})
1799 @code{gcry_cipher_info} is used to retrieve various
1800 information about a cipher context or the cipher module in general.
1802 Currently no information is available.
1805 @node General cipher functions
1806 @section General cipher functions
1808 To work with the algorithms, several functions are available to map
1809 algorithm names to the internal identifiers, as well as ways to
1810 retrieve information about an algorithm or the current cipher context.
1812 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_cipher_algo_info (int @var{algo}, int @var{what}, void *@var{buffer}, size_t *@var{nbytes})
1814 This function is used to retrieve information on a specific algorithm.
1815 You pass the cipher algorithm ID as @var{algo} and the type of
1816 information requested as @var{what}. The result is either returned as
1817 the return code of the function or copied to the provided @var{buffer}
1818 whose allocated length must be available in an integer variable with the
1819 address passed in @var{nbytes}. This variable will also receive the
1820 actual used length of the buffer.
1822 Here is a list of supported codes for @var{what}:
1824 @c begin constants for gcry_cipher_algo_info
1826 @item GCRYCTL_GET_KEYLEN:
1827 Return the length of the key. If the algorithm supports multiple key
1828 lengths, the maximum supported value is returned. The length is
1829 returned as number of octets (bytes) and not as number of bits in
1830 @var{nbytes}; @var{buffer} must be zero.
1832 @item GCRYCTL_GET_BLKLEN:
1833 Return the block length of the algorithm. The length is returned as a
1834 number of octets in @var{nbytes}; @var{buffer} must be zero.
1836 @item GCRYCTL_TEST_ALGO:
1837 Returns @code{0} when the specified algorithm is available for use.
1838 @var{buffer} and @var{nbytes} must be zero.
1841 @c end constants for gcry_cipher_algo_info
1844 @c end gcry_cipher_algo_info
1846 @deftypefun {const char *} gcry_cipher_algo_name (int @var{algo})
1848 @code{gcry_cipher_algo_name} returns a string with the name of the
1849 cipher algorithm @var{algo}. If the algorithm is not known or another
1850 error occurred, the string @code{"?"} is returned. This function should
1851 not be used to test for the availability of an algorithm.
1854 @deftypefun int gcry_cipher_map_name (const char *@var{name})
1856 @code{gcry_cipher_map_name} returns the algorithm identifier for the
1857 cipher algorithm described by the string @var{name}. If this algorithm
1858 is not available @code{0} is returned.
1861 @deftypefun int gcry_cipher_mode_from_oid (const char *@var{string})
1863 Return the cipher mode associated with an @acronym{ASN.1} object
1864 identifier. The object identifier is expected to be in the
1865 @acronym{IETF}-style dotted decimal notation. The function returns
1866 @code{0} for an unknown object identifier or when no mode is associated
1871 @c **********************************************************
1872 @c ******************* Public Key *************************
1873 @c **********************************************************
1874 @node Public Key cryptography
1875 @chapter Public Key cryptography
1877 Public key cryptography, also known as asymmetric cryptography, is an
1878 easy way for key management and to provide digital signatures.
1879 Libgcrypt provides two completely different interfaces to
1880 public key cryptography, this chapter explains the one based on
1884 * Available algorithms:: Algorithms supported by the library.
1885 * Used S-expressions:: Introduction into the used S-expression.
1886 * Public key modules:: How to work with public key modules.
1887 * Cryptographic Functions:: Functions for performing the cryptographic actions.
1888 * General public-key related Functions:: General functions, not implementing any cryptography.
1890 * AC Interface:: Alternative interface to public key functions.
1893 @node Available algorithms
1894 @section Available algorithms
1896 Libgcrypt supports the RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) algorithms as well
1897 as DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm) and Elgamal. The versatile
1898 interface allows to add more algorithms in the future.
1900 @node Used S-expressions
1901 @section Used S-expressions
1903 Libgcrypt's API for asymmetric cryptography is based on data structures
1904 called S-expressions (see
1905 @uref{http://people.csail.mit.edu/@/rivest/@/sexp.html}) and does not work
1906 with contexts as most of the other building blocks of Libgcrypt do.
1909 The following information are stored in S-expressions:
1914 @item plain text data
1916 @item encrypted data
1923 To describe how Libgcrypt expect keys, we use examples. Note that
1931 indicate parameters whereas lowercase words are literals.
1933 Note that all MPI (multi-precision-integers) values are expected to be in
1934 @code{GCRYMPI_FMT_USG} format. An easy way to create S-expressions is
1935 by using @code{gcry_sexp_build} which allows to pass a string with
1936 printf-like escapes to insert MPI values.
1939 * RSA key parameters:: Parameters used with an RSA key.
1940 * DSA key parameters:: Parameters used with a DSA key.
1941 * ECC key parameters:: Parameters used with ECC keys.
1944 @node RSA key parameters
1945 @subsection RSA key parameters
1948 An RSA private key is described by this S-expression:
1962 An RSA public key is described by this S-expression:
1974 RSA public modulus @math{n}.
1976 RSA public exponent @math{e}.
1978 RSA secret exponent @math{d = e^{-1} \bmod (p-1)(q-1)}.
1980 RSA secret prime @math{p}.
1982 RSA secret prime @math{q} with @math{p < q}.
1984 Multiplicative inverse @math{u = p^{-1} \bmod q}.
1987 For signing and decryption the parameters @math{(p, q, u)} are optional
1988 but greatly improve the performance. Either all of these optional
1989 parameters must be given or none of them. They are mandatory for
1992 Note that OpenSSL uses slighly different parameters: @math{q < p} and
1993 @math{u = q^{-1} \bmod p}. To use these parameters you will need to
1994 swap the values and recompute @math{u}. Here is example code to do this:
1997 if (gcry_mpi_cmp (p, q) > 0)
1999 gcry_mpi_swap (p, q);
2000 gcry_mpi_invm (u, p, q);
2007 @node DSA key parameters
2008 @subsection DSA key parameters
2011 A DSA private key is described by this S-expression:
2027 DSA group order @math{q} (which is a prime divisor of @math{p-1}).
2029 DSA group generator @math{g}.
2031 DSA public key value @math{y = g^x \bmod p}.
2033 DSA secret exponent x.
2036 The public key is similar with "private-key" replaced by "public-key"
2040 @node ECC key parameters
2041 @subsection ECC key parameters
2044 An ECC private key is described by this S-expression:
2060 Prime specifying the field @math{GF(p)}.
2063 The two coefficients of the Weierstrass equation @math{y^2 = x^3 + ax + b}
2065 Base point @math{g}.
2069 The point representing the public key @math{Q = dP}.
2071 The private key @math{d}
2074 All point values are encoded in standard format; Libgcrypt does
2075 currently only support uncompressed points, thus the first byte needs to
2078 The public key is similar with "private-key" replaced by "public-key"
2081 If the domain parameters are well-known, the name of this curve may be
2087 (curve "NIST P-192")
2092 The @code{curve} parameter may be given in any case and is used to replace
2096 Currently implemented curves are:
2099 @itemx 1.2.840.10045.3.1.1
2102 The NIST 192 bit curve, its OID, X9.62 and SECP aliases.
2106 The NIST 224 bit curve and its SECP alias.
2109 @itemx 1.2.840.10045.3.1.7
2112 The NIST 256 bit curve, its OID, X9.62 and SECP aliases.
2116 The NIST 384 bit curve and its SECP alias.
2120 The NIST 521 bit curve and its SECP alias.
2123 As usual the OIDs may optionally be prefixed with the string @code{OID.}
2128 @node Public key modules
2129 @section Public key modules
2131 Libgcrypt makes it possible to load additional `public key
2132 modules'; these public key algorithms can be used just like the
2133 algorithms that are built into the library directly. For an
2134 introduction into extension modules, see @xref{Modules}.
2136 @deftp {Data type} gcry_pk_spec_t
2137 This is the `module specification structure' needed for registering
2138 public key modules, which has to be filled in by the user before it
2139 can be used to register a module. It contains the following members:
2142 @item const char *name
2143 The primary name of this algorithm.
2144 @item char **aliases
2145 A list of strings that are `aliases' for the algorithm. The list
2146 must be terminated with a NULL element.
2147 @item const char *elements_pkey
2148 String containing the one-letter names of the MPI values contained in
2150 @item const char *element_skey
2151 String containing the one-letter names of the MPI values contained in
2153 @item const char *elements_enc
2154 String containing the one-letter names of the MPI values that are the
2155 result of an encryption operation using this algorithm.
2156 @item const char *elements_sig
2157 String containing the one-letter names of the MPI values that are the
2158 result of a sign operation using this algorithm.
2159 @item const char *elements_grip
2160 String containing the one-letter names of the MPI values that are to
2161 be included in the `key grip'.
2163 The bitwise-OR of the following flags, depending on the abilities of
2166 @item GCRY_PK_USAGE_SIGN
2167 The algorithm supports signing and verifying of data.
2168 @item GCRY_PK_USAGE_ENCR
2169 The algorithm supports the encryption and decryption of data.
2171 @item gcry_pk_generate_t generate
2172 The function responsible for generating a new key pair. See below for
2173 a description of this type.
2174 @item gcry_pk_check_secret_key_t check_secret_key
2175 The function responsible for checking the sanity of a provided secret
2176 key. See below for a description of this type.
2177 @item gcry_pk_encrypt_t encrypt
2178 The function responsible for encrypting data. See below for a
2179 description of this type.
2180 @item gcry_pk_decrypt_t decrypt
2181 The function responsible for decrypting data. See below for a
2182 description of this type.
2183 @item gcry_pk_sign_t sign
2184 The function responsible for signing data. See below for a description
2186 @item gcry_pk_verify_t verify
2187 The function responsible for verifying that the provided signature
2188 matches the provided data. See below for a description of this type.
2189 @item gcry_pk_get_nbits_t get_nbits
2190 The function responsible for returning the number of bits of a provided
2191 key. See below for a description of this type.
2195 @deftp {Data type} gcry_pk_generate_t
2196 Type for the `generate' function, defined as: gcry_err_code_t
2197 (*gcry_pk_generate_t) (int algo, unsigned int nbits, unsigned long
2198 use_e, gcry_mpi_t *skey, gcry_mpi_t **retfactors)
2201 @deftp {Data type} gcry_pk_check_secret_key_t
2202 Type for the `check_secret_key' function, defined as: gcry_err_code_t
2203 (*gcry_pk_check_secret_key_t) (int algo, gcry_mpi_t *skey)
2206 @deftp {Data type} gcry_pk_encrypt_t
2207 Type for the `encrypt' function, defined as: gcry_err_code_t
2208 (*gcry_pk_encrypt_t) (int algo, gcry_mpi_t *resarr, gcry_mpi_t data,
2209 gcry_mpi_t *pkey, int flags)
2212 @deftp {Data type} gcry_pk_decrypt_t
2213 Type for the `decrypt' function, defined as: gcry_err_code_t
2214 (*gcry_pk_decrypt_t) (int algo, gcry_mpi_t *result, gcry_mpi_t *data,
2215 gcry_mpi_t *skey, int flags)
2218 @deftp {Data type} gcry_pk_sign_t
2219 Type for the `sign' function, defined as: gcry_err_code_t
2220 (*gcry_pk_sign_t) (int algo, gcry_mpi_t *resarr, gcry_mpi_t data,
2224 @deftp {Data type} gcry_pk_verify_t
2225 Type for the `verify' function, defined as: gcry_err_code_t
2226 (*gcry_pk_verify_t) (int algo, gcry_mpi_t hash, gcry_mpi_t *data,
2227 gcry_mpi_t *pkey, int (*cmp) (void *, gcry_mpi_t), void *opaquev)
2230 @deftp {Data type} gcry_pk_get_nbits_t
2231 Type for the `get_nbits' function, defined as: unsigned
2232 (*gcry_pk_get_nbits_t) (int algo, gcry_mpi_t *pkey)
2235 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_pk_register (gcry_pk_spec_t *@var{pubkey}, unsigned int *algorithm_id, gcry_module_t *@var{module})
2237 Register a new public key module whose specification can be found in
2238 @var{pubkey}. On success, a new algorithm ID is stored in
2239 @var{algorithm_id} and a pointer representing this module is stored
2243 @deftypefun void gcry_pk_unregister (gcry_module_t @var{module})
2244 Unregister the public key module identified by @var{module}, which
2245 must have been registered with gcry_pk_register.
2248 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_pk_list (int *@var{list}, int *@var{list_length})
2249 Get a list consisting of the IDs of the loaded pubkey modules. If
2250 @var{list} is zero, write the number of loaded pubkey modules to
2251 @var{list_length} and return. If @var{list} is non-zero, the first
2252 *@var{list_length} algorithm IDs are stored in @var{list}, which must
2253 be of according size. In case there are less pubkey modules than
2254 *@var{list_length}, *@var{list_length} is updated to the correct
2258 @node Cryptographic Functions
2259 @section Cryptographic Functions
2262 Note that we will in future allow to use keys without p,q and u
2263 specified and may also support other parameters for performance
2268 Some functions operating on S-expressions support `flags', that
2269 influence the operation. These flags have to be listed in a
2270 sub-S-expression named `flags'; the following flags are known:
2274 Use PKCS#1 block type 2 padding.
2276 Do not use a technique called `blinding', which is used by default in
2277 order to prevent leaking of secret information. Blinding is only
2278 implemented by RSA, but it might be implemented by other algorithms in
2279 the future as well, when necessary.
2283 Now that we know the key basics, we can carry on and explain how to
2284 encrypt and decrypt data. In almost all cases the data is a random
2285 session key which is in turn used for the actual encryption of the real
2286 data. There are 2 functions to do this:
2288 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_pk_encrypt (@w{gcry_sexp_t *@var{r_ciph},} @w{gcry_sexp_t @var{data},} @w{gcry_sexp_t @var{pkey}})
2290 Obviously a public key must be provided for encryption. It is
2291 expected as an appropriate S-expression (see above) in @var{pkey}.
2292 The data to be encrypted can either be in the simple old format, which
2293 is a very simple S-expression consisting only of one MPI, or it may be
2294 a more complex S-expression which also allows to specify flags for
2295 operation, like e.g. padding rules.
2298 If you don't want to let Libgcrypt handle the padding, you must pass an
2299 appropriate MPI using this expression for @var{data}:
2308 This has the same semantics as the old style MPI only way. @var{MPI} is
2309 the actual data, already padded appropriate for your protocol. Most
2310 systems however use PKCS#1 padding and so you can use this S-expression
2316 (value @var{block}))
2320 Here, the "flags" list has the "pkcs1" flag which let the function know
2321 that it should provide PKCS#1 block type 2 padding. The actual data to
2322 be encrypted is passed as a string of octets in @var{block}. The
2323 function checks that this data actually can be used with the given key,
2324 does the padding and encrypts it.
2326 If the function could successfully perform the encryption, the return
2327 value will be 0 and a new S-expression with the encrypted result is
2328 allocated and assigned to the variable at the address of @var{r_ciph}.
2329 The caller is responsible to release this value using
2330 @code{gcry_sexp_release}. In case of an error, an error code is
2331 returned and @var{r_ciph} will be set to @code{NULL}.
2334 The returned S-expression has this format when used with RSA:
2343 Where @var{a-mpi} is an MPI with the result of the RSA operation. When
2344 using the Elgamal algorithm, the return value will have this format:
2354 Where @var{a-mpi} and @var{b-mpi} are MPIs with the result of the
2355 Elgamal encryption operation.
2357 @c end gcry_pk_encrypt
2359 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_pk_decrypt (@w{gcry_sexp_t *@var{r_plain},} @w{gcry_sexp_t @var{data},} @w{gcry_sexp_t @var{skey}})
2361 Obviously a private key must be provided for decryption. It is expected
2362 as an appropriate S-expression (see above) in @var{skey}. The data to
2363 be decrypted must match the format of the result as returned by
2364 @code{gcry_pk_encrypt}, but should be enlarged with a @code{flags}
2376 Note that this function currently does not know of any padding
2377 methods and the caller must do any un-padding on his own.
2380 The function returns 0 on success or an error code. The variable at the
2381 address of @var{r_plain} will be set to NULL on error or receive the
2382 decrypted value on success. The format of @var{r_plain} is a
2383 simple S-expression part (i.e. not a valid one) with just one MPI if
2384 there was no @code{flags} element in @var{data}; if at least an empty
2385 @code{flags} is passed in @var{data}, the format is:
2388 (value @var{plaintext})
2391 @c end gcry_pk_decrypt
2394 Another operation commonly performed using public key cryptography is
2395 signing data. In some sense this is even more important than
2396 encryption because digital signatures are an important instrument for
2397 key management. Libgcrypt supports digital signatures using
2398 2 functions, similar to the encryption functions:
2400 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_pk_sign (@w{gcry_sexp_t *@var{r_sig},} @w{gcry_sexp_t @var{data},} @w{gcry_sexp_t @var{skey}})
2402 This function creates a digital signature for @var{data} using the
2403 private key @var{skey} and place it into the variable at the address of
2404 @var{r_sig}. @var{data} may either be the simple old style S-expression
2405 with just one MPI or a modern and more versatile S-expression which
2406 allows to let Libgcrypt handle padding:
2411 (hash @var{hash-algo} @var{block}))
2415 This example requests to sign the data in @var{block} after applying
2416 PKCS#1 block type 1 style padding. @var{hash-algo} is a string with the
2417 hash algorithm to be encoded into the signature, this may be any hash
2418 algorithm name as supported by Libgcrypt. Most likely, this will be
2419 "sha1", "rmd160" or "md5". It is obvious that the length of @var{block}
2420 must match the size of that message digests; the function checks that
2421 this and other constraints are valid.
2424 If PKCS#1 padding is not required (because the caller does already
2425 provide a padded value), either the old format or better the following
2426 format should be used:
2435 Here, the data to be signed is directly given as an @var{MPI}.
2438 The signature is returned as a newly allocated S-expression in
2439 @var{r_sig} using this format for RSA:
2447 Where @var{s-mpi} is the result of the RSA sign operation. For DSA the
2448 S-expression returned is:
2457 Where @var{r-mpi} and @var{s-mpi} are the result of the DSA sign
2458 operation. For Elgamal signing (which is slow, yields large numbers
2459 and probably is not as secure as the other algorithms), the same format is
2460 used with "elg" replacing "dsa".
2465 The operation most commonly used is definitely the verification of a
2466 signature. Libgcrypt provides this function:
2468 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_pk_verify (@w{gcry_sexp_t @var{sig}}, @w{gcry_sexp_t @var{data}}, @w{gcry_sexp_t @var{pkey}})
2470 This is used to check whether the signature @var{sig} matches the
2471 @var{data}. The public key @var{pkey} must be provided to perform this
2472 verification. This function is similar in its parameters to
2473 @code{gcry_pk_sign} with the exceptions that the public key is used
2474 instead of the private key and that no signature is created but a
2475 signature, in a format as created by @code{gcry_pk_sign}, is passed to
2476 the function in @var{sig}.
2479 The result is 0 for success (i.e. the data matches the signature), or an
2480 error code where the most relevant code is @code{GCRYERR_BAD_SIGNATURE}
2481 to indicate that the signature does not match the provided data.
2484 @c end gcry_pk_verify
2486 @node General public-key related Functions
2487 @section General public-key related Functions
2490 A couple of utility functions are available to retrieve the length of
2491 the key, map algorithm identifiers and perform sanity checks:
2493 @deftypefun {const char *} gcry_pk_algo_name (int @var{algo})
2495 Map the public key algorithm id @var{algo} to a string representation of
2496 the algorithm name. For unknown algorithms this functions returns the
2497 string @code{"?"}. This function should not be used to test for the
2498 availability of an algorithm.
2501 @deftypefun int gcry_pk_map_name (const char *@var{name})
2503 Map the algorithm @var{name} to a public key algorithm Id. Returns 0 if
2504 the algorithm name is not known.
2507 @deftypefun int gcry_pk_test_algo (int @var{algo})
2509 Return 0 if the public key algorithm @var{algo} is available for use.
2510 Note that this is implemented as a macro.
2514 @deftypefun {unsigned int} gcry_pk_get_nbits (gcry_sexp_t @var{key})
2516 Return what is commonly referred as the key length for the given
2517 public or private in @var{key}.
2520 @deftypefun {unsigned char *} gcry_pk_get_keygrip (@w{gcry_sexp_t @var{key}}, @w{unsigned char *@var{array}})
2522 Return the so called "keygrip" which is the SHA-1 hash of the public key
2523 parameters expressed in a way depended on the algorithm. @var{array}
2524 must either provide space for 20 bytes or be @code{NULL}. In the latter
2525 case a newly allocated array of that size is returned. On success a
2526 pointer to the newly allocated space or to @var{array} is returned.
2527 @code{NULL} is returned to indicate an error which is most likely an
2528 unknown algorithm or one where a "keygrip" has not yet been defined.
2529 The function accepts public or secret keys in @var{key}.
2532 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_pk_testkey (gcry_sexp_t @var{key})
2534 Return zero if the private key @var{key} is `sane', an error code otherwise.
2535 Note that it is not possible to check the `saneness' of a public key.
2540 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_pk_algo_info (@w{int @var{algo}}, @w{int @var{what}}, @w{void *@var{buffer}}, @w{size_t *@var{nbytes}})
2542 Depending on the value of @var{what} return various information about
2543 the public key algorithm with the id @var{algo}. Note that the
2544 function returns @code{-1} on error and the actual error code must be
2545 retrieved using the function @code{gcry_errno}. The currently defined
2546 values for @var{what} are:
2549 @item GCRYCTL_TEST_ALGO:
2550 Return 0 if the specified algorithm is available for use.
2551 @var{buffer} must be @code{NULL}, @var{nbytes} may be passed as
2552 @code{NULL} or point to a variable with the required usage of the
2553 algorithm. This may be 0 for "don't care" or the bit-wise OR of these
2557 @item GCRY_PK_USAGE_SIGN
2558 Algorithm is usable for signing.
2559 @item GCRY_PK_USAGE_ENCR
2560 Algorithm is usable for encryption.
2563 Unless you need to test for the allowed usage, it is in general better
2564 to use the macro gcry_pk_test_algo instead.
2566 @item GCRYCTL_GET_ALGO_USAGE:
2567 Return the usage flags for the given algorithm. An invalid algorithm
2568 return 0. Disabled algorithms are ignored here because we
2569 want to know whether the algorithm is at all capable of a certain usage.
2571 @item GCRYCTL_GET_ALGO_NPKEY
2572 Return the number of elements the public key for algorithm @var{algo}
2573 consist of. Return 0 for an unknown algorithm.
2575 @item GCRYCTL_GET_ALGO_NSKEY
2576 Return the number of elements the private key for algorithm @var{algo}
2577 consist of. Note that this value is always larger than that of the
2578 public key. Return 0 for an unknown algorithm.
2580 @item GCRYCTL_GET_ALGO_NSIGN
2581 Return the number of elements a signature created with the algorithm
2582 @var{algo} consists of. Return 0 for an unknown algorithm or for an
2583 algorithm not capable of creating signatures.
2585 @item GCRYCTL_GET_ALGO_NENC
2586 Return the number of elements a encrypted message created with the algorithm
2587 @var{algo} consists of. Return 0 for an unknown algorithm or for an
2588 algorithm not capable of encryption.
2592 Please note that parameters not required should be passed as @code{NULL}.
2594 @c end gcry_pk_algo_info
2597 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_pk_ctl (@w{int @var{cmd}}, @w{void *@var{buffer}}, @w{size_t @var{buflen}})
2599 This is a general purpose function to perform certain control
2600 operations. @var{cmd} controls what is to be done. The return value is
2601 0 for success or an error code. Currently supported values for
2605 @item GCRYCTL_DISABLE_ALGO
2606 Disable the algorithm given as an algorithm id in @var{buffer}.
2607 @var{buffer} must point to an @code{int} variable with the algorithm id
2608 and @var{buflen} must have the value @code{sizeof (int)}.
2615 Libgcrypt also provides a function to generate public key
2618 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_pk_genkey (@w{gcry_sexp_t *@var{r_key}}, @w{gcry_sexp_t @var{parms}})
2620 This function create a new public key pair using information given in
2621 the S-expression @var{parms} and stores the private and the public key
2622 in one new S-expression at the address given by @var{r_key}. In case of
2623 an error, @var{r_key} is set to @code{NULL}. The return code is 0 for
2624 success or an error code otherwise.
2627 Here is an example for @var{parms} to create an 2048 bit RSA key:
2636 To create an Elgamal key, substitute "elg" for "rsa" and to create a DSA
2637 key use "dsa". Valid ranges for the key length depend on the
2638 algorithms; all commonly used key lengths are supported. Currently
2639 supported parameters are:
2643 This is always required to specify the length of the key. The argument
2644 is a string with a number in C-notation. The value should be a multiple
2647 @item curve @var{name}
2648 For ECC a named curve may be used instead of giving the number of
2649 requested bits. This allows to request a specific curve to override a
2650 default selection Libgcrypt would have taken if @code{nbits} has been
2651 given. The available names are listed with the description of the ECC
2652 public key parameters.
2655 This is only used with RSA to give a hint for the public exponent. The
2656 value will be used as a base to test for a usable exponent. Some values
2661 Use a secure and fast value. This is currently the number 41.
2663 Use a value as required by some crypto policies. This is currently
2668 Use the given value.
2672 If this parameter is not used, Libgcrypt uses for historic reasons
2676 This is only meanigful for DSA keys. If it is given the DSA key is
2677 generated with a Q parameyer of this size. If it is not given or zero
2678 Q is deduced from NBITS in this way:
2680 @item 512 <= N <= 1024
2691 Note that in this case only the values for N, as given in the table,
2692 are allowed. When specifying Q all values of N in the range 512 to
2693 15680 are valid as long as they are multiples of 8.
2696 This is only meaningful for RSA keys. This is a flag with no value. If
2697 given the RSA key is created using a faster and a somewhat less secure
2698 random number generator. This flag may be used for keys which are only
2699 used for a short time and do not require full cryptographic strength.
2702 This is only meaningful for DLP algorithms. If specified keys are
2703 generated with domain parameters taken from this list. The exact
2704 format of this parameter depends on the actual algorithm. It is
2705 currently only implemented for DSA using this format:
2714 (seed @var{seed-mpi})
2715 (counter @var{counter-mpi})
2719 The @code{seed}, @code{counter} and @code{h} domain parameters are
2720 optional and currently not used.
2723 @c end table of parameters
2726 The key pair is returned in a format depending on the algorithm. Both
2727 private and public keys are returned in one container and may be
2728 accompanied by some miscellaneous information.
2731 As an example, here is what the Elgamal key generation returns:
2747 (pm1-factors @var{n1 n2 ... nn})))
2751 As you can see, some of the information is duplicated, but this provides
2752 an easy way to extract either the public or the private key. Note that
2753 the order of the elements is not defined, e.g. the private key may be
2754 stored before the public key. @var{n1 n2 ... nn} is a list of prime
2755 numbers used to composite @var{p-mpi}; this is in general not a very
2758 @c end gcry_pk_genkey
2761 @section Alternative Public Key Interface
2763 This section documents the alternative interface to asymmetric
2764 cryptography (ac) that is not based on S-expressions, but on native C
2765 data structures. As opposed to the pk interface described in the
2766 former chapter, this one follows an open/use/close paradigm like other
2767 building blocks of the library.
2769 @strong{This interface has a few known problems; most noteworthy an
2770 inherent tendency to leak memory. It might not be available in
2771 forthcoming versions Libgcrypt.}
2775 * Available asymmetric algorithms:: List of algorithms supported by the library.
2776 * Working with sets of data:: How to work with sets of data.
2777 * Working with IO objects:: How to work with IO objects.
2778 * Working with handles:: How to use handles.
2779 * Working with keys:: How to work with keys.
2780 * Using cryptographic functions:: How to perform cryptographic operations.
2781 * Handle-independent functions:: General functions independent of handles.
2784 @node Available asymmetric algorithms
2785 @subsection Available asymmetric algorithms
2787 Libgcrypt supports the RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman)
2788 algorithms as well as DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm) and Elgamal.
2789 The versatile interface allows to add more algorithms in the future.
2791 @deftp {Data type} gcry_ac_id_t
2793 The following constants are defined for this type:
2797 Rivest-Shamir-Adleman
2799 Digital Signature Algorithm
2803 Elgamal, encryption only.
2807 @node Working with sets of data
2808 @subsection Working with sets of data
2810 In the context of this interface the term `data set' refers to a list
2811 of `named MPI values' that is used by functions performing
2812 cryptographic operations; a named MPI value is a an MPI value,
2813 associated with a label.
2815 Such data sets are used for representing keys, since keys simply
2816 consist of a variable amount of numbers. Furthermore some functions
2817 return data sets to the caller that are to be provided to other
2820 This section documents the data types, symbols and functions that are
2821 relevant for working with data sets.
2823 @deftp {Data type} gcry_ac_data_t
2827 The following flags are supported:
2830 @item GCRY_AC_FLAG_DEALLOC
2831 Used for storing data in a data set. If given, the data will be
2832 released by the library. Note that whenever one of the ac functions
2833 is about to release objects because of this flag, the objects are
2834 expected to be stored in memory allocated through the Libgcrypt memory
2835 management. In other words: gcry_free() is used instead of free().
2837 @item GCRY_AC_FLAG_COPY
2838 Used for storing/retrieving data in/from a data set. If given, the
2839 library will create copies of the provided/contained data, which will
2840 then be given to the user/associated with the data set.
2843 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_new (gcry_ac_data_t *@var{data})
2844 Creates a new, empty data set and stores it in @var{data}.
2847 @deftypefun void gcry_ac_data_destroy (gcry_ac_data_t @var{data})
2848 Destroys the data set @var{data}.
2851 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_set (gcry_ac_data_t @var{data}, unsigned int @var{flags}, char *@var{name}, gcry_mpi_t @var{mpi})
2852 Add the value @var{mpi} to @var{data} with the label @var{name}. If
2853 @var{flags} contains GCRY_AC_FLAG_COPY, the data set will contain
2854 copies of @var{name} and @var{mpi}. If @var{flags} contains
2855 GCRY_AC_FLAG_DEALLOC or GCRY_AC_FLAG_COPY, the values
2856 contained in the data set will be deallocated when they are to be
2857 removed from the data set.
2860 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_copy (gcry_ac_data_t *@var{data_cp}, gcry_ac_data_t @var{data})
2861 Create a copy of the data set @var{data} and store it in
2862 @var{data_cp}. FIXME: exact semantics undefined.
2865 @deftypefun {unsigned int} gcry_ac_data_length (gcry_ac_data_t @var{data})
2866 Returns the number of named MPI values inside of the data set
2870 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_get_name (gcry_ac_data_t @var{data}, unsigned int @var{flags}, char *@var{name}, gcry_mpi_t *@var{mpi})
2871 Store the value labelled with @var{name} found in @var{data} in
2872 @var{mpi}. If @var{flags} contains GCRY_AC_FLAG_COPY, store a copy of
2873 the @var{mpi} value contained in the data set. @var{mpi} may be NULL
2874 (this might be useful for checking the existence of an MPI with
2878 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_get_index (gcry_ac_data_t @var{data}, unsigned int flags, unsigned int @var{index}, const char **@var{name}, gcry_mpi_t *@var{mpi})
2879 Stores in @var{name} and @var{mpi} the named @var{mpi} value contained
2880 in the data set @var{data} with the index @var{idx}. If @var{flags}
2881 contains GCRY_AC_FLAG_COPY, store copies of the values contained in
2882 the data set. @var{name} or @var{mpi} may be NULL.
2885 @deftypefun void gcry_ac_data_clear (gcry_ac_data_t @var{data})
2886 Destroys any values contained in the data set @var{data}.
2889 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_to_sexp (gcry_ac_data_t @var{data}, gcry_sexp_t *@var{sexp}, const char **@var{identifiers})
2890 This function converts the data set @var{data} into a newly created
2891 S-Expression, which is to be stored in @var{sexp}; @var{identifiers}
2892 is a NULL terminated list of C strings, which specifies the structure
2893 of the S-Expression.
2897 If @var{identifiers} is a list of pointers to the strings ``foo'' and
2898 ``bar'' and if @var{data} is a data set containing the values ``val1 =
2899 0x01'' and ``val2 = 0x02'', then the resulting S-Expression will look
2900 like this: (foo (bar ((val1 0x01) (val2 0x02))).
2903 @deftypefun gcry_error gcry_ac_data_from_sexp (gcry_ac_data_t *@var{data}, gcry_sexp_t @var{sexp}, const char **@var{identifiers})
2904 This function converts the S-Expression @var{sexp} into a newly
2905 created data set, which is to be stored in @var{data};
2906 @var{identifiers} is a NULL terminated list of C strings, which
2907 specifies the structure of the S-Expression. If the list of
2908 identifiers does not match the structure of the S-Expression, the
2912 @node Working with IO objects
2913 @subsection Working with IO objects
2915 Note: IO objects are currently only used in the context of message
2916 encoding/decoding and encryption/signature schemes.
2918 @deftp {Data type} {gcry_ac_io_t}
2919 @code{gcry_ac_io_t} is the type to be used for IO objects.
2922 IO objects provide an uniform IO layer on top of different underlying
2923 IO mechanisms; either they can be used for providing data to the
2924 library (mode is GCRY_AC_IO_READABLE) or they can be used for
2925 retrieving data from the library (mode is GCRY_AC_IO_WRITABLE).
2927 IO object need to be initialized by calling on of the following
2930 @deftypefun void gcry_ac_io_init (gcry_ac_io_t *@var{ac_io}, gcry_ac_io_mode_t @var{mode}, gcry_ac_io_type_t @var{type}, ...);
2931 Initialize @var{ac_io} according to @var{mode}, @var{type} and the
2932 variable list of arguments. The list of variable arguments to specify
2933 depends on the given @var{type}.
2936 @deftypefun void gcry_ac_io_init_va (gcry_ac_io_t *@var{ac_io}, gcry_ac_io_mode_t @var{mode}, gcry_ac_io_type_t @var{type}, va_list @var{ap});
2937 Initialize @var{ac_io} according to @var{mode}, @var{type} and the
2938 variable list of arguments @var{ap}. The list of variable arguments
2939 to specify depends on the given @var{type}.
2942 The following types of IO objects exist:
2945 @item GCRY_AC_IO_STRING
2946 In case of GCRY_AC_IO_READABLE the IO object will provide data from a
2947 memory string. Arguments to specify at initialization time:
2949 @item unsigned char *
2950 Pointer to the beginning of the memory string
2952 Size of the memory string
2954 In case of GCRY_AC_IO_WRITABLE the object will store retrieved data in
2955 a newly allocated memory string. Arguments to specify at
2956 initialization time:
2958 @item unsigned char **
2959 Pointer to address, at which the pointer to the newly created memory
2960 string is to be stored
2962 Pointer to address, at which the size of the newly created memory
2963 string is to be stored
2966 @item GCRY_AC_IO_CALLBACK
2967 In case of GCRY_AC_IO_READABLE the object will forward read requests
2968 to a provided callback function. Arguments to specify at
2969 initialization time:
2971 @item gcry_ac_data_read_cb_t
2972 Callback function to use
2974 Opaque argument to provide to the callback function
2976 In case of GCRY_AC_IO_WRITABLE the object will forward write requests
2977 to a provided callback function. Arguments to specify at
2978 initialization time:
2980 @item gcry_ac_data_write_cb_t
2981 Callback function to use
2983 Opaque argument to provide to the callback function
2987 @node Working with handles
2988 @subsection Working with handles
2990 In order to use an algorithm, an according handle must be created.
2991 This is done using the following function:
2993 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_open (gcry_ac_handle_t *@var{handle}, int @var{algorithm}, int @var{flags})
2995 Creates a new handle for the algorithm @var{algorithm} and stores it
2996 in @var{handle}. @var{flags} is not used currently.
2998 @var{algorithm} must be a valid algorithm ID, see @xref{Available
2999 asymmetric algorithms}, for a list of supported algorithms and the
3000 according constants. Besides using the listed constants directly, the
3001 functions @code{gcry_pk_name_to_id} may be used to convert the textual
3002 name of an algorithm into the according numeric ID.
3005 @deftypefun void gcry_ac_close (gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle})
3006 Destroys the handle @var{handle}.
3009 @node Working with keys
3010 @subsection Working with keys
3012 @deftp {Data type} gcry_ac_key_type_t
3016 @item GCRY_AC_KEY_SECRET
3017 Specifies a secret key.
3018 @item GCRY_AC_KEY_PUBLIC
3019 Specifies a public key.
3023 @deftp {Data type} gcry_ac_key_t
3024 This type represents a single `key', either a secret one or a public
3028 @deftp {Data type} gcry_ac_key_pair_t
3029 This type represents a `key pair' containing a secret and a public key.
3032 Key data structures can be created in two different ways; a new key
3033 pair can be generated, resulting in ready-to-use key. Alternatively a
3034 key can be initialized from a given data set.
3036 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_key_init (gcry_ac_key_t *@var{key}, gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle}, gcry_ac_key_type_t @var{type}, gcry_ac_data_t @var{data})
3037 Creates a new key of type @var{type}, consisting of the MPI values
3038 contained in the data set @var{data} and stores it in @var{key}.
3041 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_key_pair_generate (gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle}, unsigned int @var{nbits}, void *@var{key_spec}, gcry_ac_key_pair_t *@var{key_pair}, gcry_mpi_t **@var{misc_data})
3043 Generates a new key pair via the handle @var{handle} of @var{NBITS}
3044 bits and stores it in @var{key_pair}.
3046 In case non-standard settings are wanted, a pointer to a structure of
3047 type @code{gcry_ac_key_spec_<algorithm>_t}, matching the selected
3048 algorithm, can be given as @var{key_spec}. @var{misc_data} is not
3049 used yet. Such a structure does only exist for RSA. A description
3050 of the members of the supported structures follows.
3053 @item gcry_ac_key_spec_rsa_t
3056 Generate the key pair using a special @code{e}. The value of @code{e}
3057 has the following meanings:
3060 Let Libgcrypt decide what exponent should be used.
3062 Request the use of a ``secure'' exponent; this is required by some
3063 specification to be 65537.
3065 Try starting at this value until a working exponent is found. Note
3066 that the current implementation leaks some information about the
3067 private key because the incrementation used is not randomized. Thus,
3068 this function will be changed in the future to return a random
3069 exponent of the given size.
3077 gcry_ac_key_pair_t key_pair;
3078 gcry_ac_key_spec_rsa_t rsa_spec;
3080 rsa_spec.e = gcry_mpi_new (0);
3081 gcry_mpi_set_ui (rsa_spec.e, 1);
3083 err = gcry_ac_open (&handle, GCRY_AC_RSA, 0);
3086 err = gcry_ac_key_pair_generate (handle, 1024, &rsa_spec,
3094 @deftypefun gcry_ac_key_t gcry_ac_key_pair_extract (gcry_ac_key_pair_t @var{key_pair}, gcry_ac_key_type_t @var{which})
3095 Returns the key of type @var{which} out of the key pair
3099 @deftypefun void gcry_ac_key_destroy (gcry_ac_key_t @var{key})
3100 Destroys the key @var{key}.
3103 @deftypefun void gcry_ac_key_pair_destroy (gcry_ac_key_pair_t @var{key_pair})
3104 Destroys the key pair @var{key_pair}.
3107 @deftypefun gcry_ac_data_t gcry_ac_key_data_get (gcry_ac_key_t @var{key})
3108 Returns the data set contained in the key @var{key}.
3111 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_key_test (gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle}, gcry_ac_key_t @var{key})
3112 Verifies that the private key @var{key} is sane via @var{handle}.
3115 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_key_get_nbits (gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle}, gcry_ac_key_t @var{key}, unsigned int *@var{nbits})
3116 Stores the number of bits of the key @var{key} in @var{nbits} via @var{handle}.
3119 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_key_get_grip (gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle}, gcry_ac_key_t @var{key}, unsigned char *@var{key_grip})
3120 Writes the 20 byte long key grip of the key @var{key} to
3121 @var{key_grip} via @var{handle}.
3124 @node Using cryptographic functions
3125 @subsection Using cryptographic functions
3127 The following flags might be relevant:
3130 @item GCRY_AC_FLAG_NO_BLINDING
3131 Disable any blinding, which might be supported by the chosen
3132 algorithm; blinding is the default.
3135 There exist two kinds of cryptographic functions available through the
3136 ac interface: primitives, and high-level functions.
3138 Primitives deal with MPIs (data sets) directly; what they provide is
3139 direct access to the cryptographic operations provided by an algorithm
3142 High-level functions deal with octet strings, according to a specified
3143 ``scheme''. Schemes make use of ``encoding methods'', which are
3144 responsible for converting the provided octet strings into MPIs, which
3145 are then forwared to the cryptographic primitives. Since schemes are
3146 to be used for a special purpose in order to achieve a particular
3147 security goal, there exist ``encryption schemes'' and ``signature
3148 schemes''. Encoding methods can be used seperately or implicitly
3151 What follows is a description of the cryptographic primitives.
3153 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_encrypt (gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle}, unsigned int @var{flags}, gcry_ac_key_t @var{key}, gcry_mpi_t @var{data_plain}, gcry_ac_data_t *@var{data_encrypted})
3154 Encrypts the plain text MPI value @var{data_plain} with the key public
3155 @var{key} under the control of the flags @var{flags} and stores the
3156 resulting data set into @var{data_encrypted}.
3159 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_decrypt (gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle}, unsigned int @var{flags}, gcry_ac_key_t @var{key}, gcry_mpi_t *@var{data_plain}, gcry_ac_data_t @var{data_encrypted})
3160 Decrypts the encrypted data contained in the data set
3161 @var{data_encrypted} with the secret key KEY under the control of the
3162 flags @var{flags} and stores the resulting plain text MPI value in
3166 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_sign (gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle}, gcry_ac_key_t @var{key}, gcry_mpi_t @var{data}, gcry_ac_data_t *@var{data_signature})
3167 Signs the data contained in @var{data} with the secret key @var{key}
3168 and stores the resulting signature in the data set
3169 @var{data_signature}.
3172 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_verify (gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle}, gcry_ac_key_t @var{key}, gcry_mpi_t @var{data}, gcry_ac_data_t @var{data_signature})
3173 Verifies that the signature contained in the data set
3174 @var{data_signature} is indeed the result of signing the data
3175 contained in @var{data} with the secret key belonging to the public
3179 What follows is a description of the high-level functions.
3181 The type ``gcry_ac_em_t'' is used for specifying encoding methods; the
3182 following methods are supported:
3185 @item GCRY_AC_EME_PKCS_V1_5
3186 PKCS-V1_5 Encoding Method for Encryption. Options must be provided
3187 through a pointer to a correctly initialized object of type
3188 gcry_ac_eme_pkcs_v1_5_t.
3190 @item GCRY_AC_EMSA_PKCS_V1_5
3191 PKCS-V1_5 Encoding Method for Signatures with Appendix. Options must
3192 be provided through a pointer to a correctly initialized object of
3193 type gcry_ac_emsa_pkcs_v1_5_t.
3196 Option structure types:
3199 @item gcry_ac_eme_pkcs_v1_5_t
3201 @item gcry_ac_key_t key
3202 @item gcry_ac_handle_t handle
3204 @item gcry_ac_emsa_pkcs_v1_5_t
3206 @item gcry_md_algo_t md
3211 Encoding methods can be used directly through the following functions:
3213 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_encode (gcry_ac_em_t @var{method}, unsigned int @var{flags}, void *@var{options}, unsigned char *@var{m}, size_t @var{m_n}, unsigned char **@var{em}, size_t *@var{em_n})
3214 Encodes the message contained in @var{m} of size @var{m_n} according
3215 to @var{method}, @var{flags} and @var{options}. The newly created
3216 encoded message is stored in @var{em} and @var{em_n}.
3219 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_decode (gcry_ac_em_t @var{method}, unsigned int @var{flags}, void *@var{options}, unsigned char *@var{em}, size_t @var{em_n}, unsigned char **@var{m}, size_t *@var{m_n})
3220 Decodes the message contained in @var{em} of size @var{em_n} according
3221 to @var{method}, @var{flags} and @var{options}. The newly created
3222 decoded message is stored in @var{m} and @var{m_n}.
3225 The type ``gcry_ac_scheme_t'' is used for specifying schemes; the
3226 following schemes are supported:
3229 @item GCRY_AC_ES_PKCS_V1_5
3230 PKCS-V1_5 Encryption Scheme. No options can be provided.
3231 @item GCRY_AC_SSA_PKCS_V1_5
3232 PKCS-V1_5 Signature Scheme (with Appendix). Options can be provided
3233 through a pointer to a correctly initialized object of type
3234 gcry_ac_ssa_pkcs_v1_5_t.
3237 Option structure types:
3240 @item gcry_ac_ssa_pkcs_v1_5_t
3242 @item gcry_md_algo_t md
3246 The functions implementing schemes:
3248 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_encrypt_scheme (gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle}, gcry_ac_scheme_t @var{scheme}, unsigned int @var{flags}, void *@var{opts}, gcry_ac_key_t @var{key}, gcry_ac_io_t *@var{io_message}, gcry_ac_io_t *@var{io_cipher})
3249 Encrypts the plain text readable from @var{io_message} through
3250 @var{handle} with the public key @var{key} according to @var{scheme},
3251 @var{flags} and @var{opts}. If @var{opts} is not NULL, it has to be a
3252 pointer to a structure specific to the chosen scheme (gcry_ac_es_*_t).
3253 The encrypted message is written to @var{io_cipher}.
3256 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_decrypt_scheme (gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle}, gcry_ac_scheme_t @var{scheme}, unsigned int @var{flags}, void *@var{opts}, gcry_ac_key_t @var{key}, gcry_ac_io_t *@var{io_cipher}, gcry_ac_io_t *@var{io_message})
3257 Decrypts the cipher text readable from @var{io_cipher} through
3258 @var{handle} with the secret key @var{key} according to @var{scheme},
3259 @var{flags} and @var{opts}. If @var{opts} is not NULL, it has to be a
3260 pointer to a structure specific to the chosen scheme (gcry_ac_es_*_t).
3261 The decrypted message is written to @var{io_message}.
3264 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_sign_scheme (gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle}, gcry_ac_scheme_t @var{scheme}, unsigned int @var{flags}, void *@var{opts}, gcry_ac_key_t @var{key}, gcry_ac_io_t *@var{io_message}, gcry_ac_io_t *@var{io_signature})
3265 Signs the message readable from @var{io_message} through @var{handle}
3266 with the secret key @var{key} according to @var{scheme}, @var{flags}
3267 and @var{opts}. If @var{opts} is not NULL, it has to be a pointer to
3268 a structure specific to the chosen scheme (gcry_ac_ssa_*_t). The
3269 signature is written to @var{io_signature}.
3272 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_data_verify_scheme (gcry_ac_handle_t @var{handle}, gcry_ac_scheme_t @var{scheme}, unsigned int @var{flags}, void *@var{opts}, gcry_ac_key_t @var{key}, gcry_ac_io_t *@var{io_message}, gcry_ac_io_t *@var{io_signature})
3273 Verifies through @var{handle} that the signature readable from
3274 @var{io_signature} is indeed the result of signing the message
3275 readable from @var{io_message} with the secret key belonging to the
3276 public key @var{key} according to @var{scheme} and @var{opts}. If
3277 @var{opts} is not NULL, it has to be an anonymous structure
3278 (gcry_ac_ssa_*_t) specific to the chosen scheme.
3281 @node Handle-independent functions
3282 @subsection Handle-independent functions
3284 These two functions are deprecated; do not use them for new code.
3286 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_id_to_name (gcry_ac_id_t @var{algorithm}, const char **@var{name})
3287 Stores the textual representation of the algorithm whose id is given
3288 in @var{algorithm} in @var{name}. Deprecated; use @code{gcry_pk_algo_name}.
3291 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_ac_name_to_id (const char *@var{name}, gcry_ac_id_t *@var{algorithm})
3292 Stores the numeric ID of the algorithm whose textual representation is
3293 contained in @var{name} in @var{algorithm}. Deprecated; use
3294 @code{gcry_pk_map_name}.
3297 @c **********************************************************
3298 @c ******************* Hash Functions *********************
3299 @c **********************************************************
3303 Libgcrypt provides an easy and consistent to use interface for hashing.
3304 Hashing is buffered and several hash algorithms can be updated at once.
3305 It is possible to compute a MAC using the same routines. The
3306 programming model follows an open/process/close paradigm and is in that
3307 similar to other building blocks provided by Libgcrypt.
3309 For convenience reasons, a few cyclic redundancy check value operations
3313 * Available hash algorithms:: List of hash algorithms supported by the library.
3314 * Hash algorithm modules:: How to work with hash algorithm modules.
3315 * Working with hash algorithms:: List of functions related to hashing.
3318 @node Available hash algorithms
3319 @section Available hash algorithms
3321 @c begin table of hash algorithms
3323 @cindex SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512
3325 @cindex MD2, MD4, MD5
3332 This is not a real algorithm but used by some functions as an error
3333 return value. This constant is guaranteed to have the value @code{0}.
3336 This is the SHA-1 algorithm which yields a message digest of 20 bytes.
3338 @item GCRY_MD_RMD160
3339 This is the 160 bit version of the RIPE message digest (RIPE-MD-160).
3340 Like SHA-1 it also yields a digest of 20 bytes.
3343 This is the well known MD5 algorithm, which yields a message digest of
3347 This is the MD4 algorithm, which yields a message digest of 16 bytes.
3350 This is an reserved identifier for MD-2; there is no implementation yet.
3353 This is the TIGER/192 algorithm which yields a message digest of 24 bytes.
3356 This is an reserved for the HAVAL algorithm with 5 passes and 160
3357 bit. It yields a message digest of 20 bytes. Note that there is no
3358 implementation yet available.
3360 @item GCRY_MD_SHA224
3361 This is the SHA-224 algorithm which yields a message digest of 28 bytes.
3362 See Change Notice 1 for FIPS 180-2 for the specification.
3364 @item GCRY_MD_SHA256
3365 This is the SHA-256 algorithm which yields a message digest of 32 bytes.
3366 See FIPS 180-2 for the specification.
3368 @item GCRY_MD_SHA384
3369 This is the SHA-384 algorithm which yields a message digest of 48 bytes.
3370 See FIPS 180-2 for the specification.
3372 @item GCRY_MD_SHA512
3373 This is the SHA-384 algorithm which yields a message digest of 64 bytes.
3374 See FIPS 180-2 for the specification.
3377 This is the ISO 3309 and ITU-T V.42 cyclic redundancy check. It
3378 yields an output of 4 bytes.
3380 @item GCRY_MD_CRC32_RFC1510
3381 This is the above cyclic redundancy check function, as modified by RFC
3382 1510. It yields an output of 4 bytes.
3384 @item GCRY_MD_CRC24_RFC2440
3385 This is the OpenPGP cyclic redundancy check function. It yields an
3388 @item GCRY_MD_WHIRLPOOL
3389 This is the Whirlpool algorithm which yields a message digest of 64
3393 @c end table of hash algorithms
3395 @node Hash algorithm modules
3396 @section Hash algorithm modules
3398 Libgcrypt makes it possible to load additional `message
3399 digest modules'; these digests can be used just like the message digest
3400 algorithms that are built into the library directly. For an
3401 introduction into extension modules, see @xref{Modules}.
3403 @deftp {Data type} gcry_md_spec_t
3404 This is the `module specification structure' needed for registering
3405 message digest modules, which has to be filled in by the user before
3406 it can be used to register a module. It contains the following
3410 @item const char *name
3411 The primary name of this algorithm.
3412 @item unsigned char *asnoid
3413 Array of bytes that form the ASN OID.
3415 Length of bytes in `asnoid'.
3416 @item gcry_md_oid_spec_t *oids
3417 A list of OIDs that are to be associated with the algorithm. The
3418 list's last element must have it's `oid' member set to NULL. See
3419 below for an explanation of this type. See below for an explanation
3422 Length of the message digest algorithm. See below for an explanation
3424 @item gcry_md_init_t init
3425 The function responsible for initializing a handle. See below for an
3426 explanation of this type.
3427 @item gcry_md_write_t write
3428 The function responsible for writing data into a message digest
3429 context. See below for an explanation of this type.
3430 @item gcry_md_final_t final
3431 The function responsible for `finalizing' a message digest context.
3432 See below for an explanation of this type.
3433 @item gcry_md_read_t read
3434 The function responsible for reading out a message digest result. See
3435 below for an explanation of this type.
3436 @item size_t contextsize
3437 The size of the algorithm-specific `context', that should be
3438 allocated for each handle.
3442 @deftp {Data type} gcry_md_oid_spec_t
3443 This type is used for associating a user-provided algorithm
3444 implementation with certain OIDs. It contains the following members:
3447 @item const char *oidstring
3448 Textual representation of the OID.
3452 @deftp {Data type} gcry_md_init_t
3453 Type for the `init' function, defined as: void (*gcry_md_init_t) (void
3457 @deftp {Data type} gcry_md_write_t
3458 Type for the `write' function, defined as: void (*gcry_md_write_t)
3459 (void *c, unsigned char *buf, size_t nbytes)
3462 @deftp {Data type} gcry_md_final_t
3463 Type for the `final' function, defined as: void (*gcry_md_final_t)
3467 @deftp {Data type} gcry_md_read_t
3468 Type for the `read' function, defined as: unsigned char
3469 *(*gcry_md_read_t) (void *c)
3472 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_md_register (gcry_md_spec_t *@var{digest}, unsigned int *algorithm_id, gcry_module_t *@var{module})
3474 Register a new digest module whose specification can be found in
3475 @var{digest}. On success, a new algorithm ID is stored in
3476 @var{algorithm_id} and a pointer representing this module is stored
3480 @deftypefun void gcry_md_unregister (gcry_module_t @var{module})
3481 Unregister the digest identified by @var{module}, which must have been
3482 registered with gcry_md_register.
3485 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_md_list (int *@var{list}, int *@var{list_length})
3486 Get a list consisting of the IDs of the loaded message digest modules.
3487 If @var{list} is zero, write the number of loaded message digest
3488 modules to @var{list_length} and return. If @var{list} is non-zero,
3489 the first *@var{list_length} algorithm IDs are stored in @var{list},
3490 which must be of according size. In case there are less message
3491 digests modules than *@var{list_length}, *@var{list_length} is updated
3492 to the correct number.
3495 @node Working with hash algorithms
3496 @section Working with hash algorithms
3498 To use most of these function it is necessary to create a context;
3501 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_md_open (gcry_md_hd_t *@var{hd}, int @var{algo}, unsigned int @var{flags})
3503 Create a message digest object for algorithm @var{algo}. @var{flags}
3504 may be given as an bitwise OR of constants described below. @var{algo}
3505 may be given as @code{0} if the algorithms to use are later set using
3506 @code{gcry_md_enable}. @var{hd} is guaranteed to either receive a valid
3509 For a list of supported algorithms, see @xref{Available hash
3512 The flags allowed for @var{mode} are:
3514 @c begin table of hash flags
3516 @item GCRY_MD_FLAG_SECURE
3517 Allocate all buffers and the resulting digest in "secure memory". Use
3518 this is the hashed data is highly confidential.
3520 @item GCRY_MD_FLAG_HMAC
3522 Turn the algorithm into a HMAC message authentication algorithm. This
3523 only works if just one algorithm is enabled for the handle. Note that
3524 the function @code{gcry_md_setkey} must be used to set the MAC key.
3525 The size of the MAC is equal to the message digest of the underlying
3526 hash algorithm. If you want CBC message authentication codes based on
3527 a cipher, see @xref{Working with cipher handles}.
3530 @c begin table of hash flags
3532 You may use the function @code{gcry_md_is_enabled} to later check
3533 whether an algorithm has been enabled.
3536 @c end function gcry_md_open
3538 If you want to calculate several hash algorithms at the same time, you
3539 have to use the following function right after the @code{gcry_md_open}:
3541 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_md_enable (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h}, int @var{algo})
3543 Add the message digest algorithm @var{algo} to the digest object
3544 described by handle @var{h}. Duplicated enabling of algorithms is
3545 detected and ignored.
3548 If the flag @code{GCRY_MD_FLAG_HMAC} was used, the key for the MAC must
3549 be set using the function:
3551 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_md_setkey (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h}, const void *@var{key}, size_t @var{keylen})
3553 For use with the HMAC feature, set the MAC key to the value of @var{key}
3554 of length @var{keylen}. There is no restriction on the length of the key.
3558 After you are done with the hash calculation, you should release the
3561 @deftypefun void gcry_md_close (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h})
3563 Release all resources of hash context @var{h}. @var{h} should not be
3564 used after a call to this function. A @code{NULL} passed as @var{h} is
3569 Often you have to do several hash operations using the same algorithm.
3570 To avoid the overhead of creating and releasing context, a reset function
3573 @deftypefun void gcry_md_reset (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h})
3575 Reset the current context to its initial state. This is effectively
3576 identical to a close followed by an open and enabling all currently
3581 Often it is necessary to start hashing some data and then continue to
3582 hash different data. To avoid hashing the same data several times (which
3583 might not even be possible if the data is received from a pipe), a
3584 snapshot of the current hash context can be taken and turned into a new
3587 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_md_copy (gcry_md_hd_t *@var{handle_dst}, gcry_md_hd_t @var{handle_src})
3589 Create a new digest object as an exact copy of the object described by
3590 handle @var{handle_src} and store it in @var{handle_dst}. The context
3591 is not reset and you can continue to hash data using this context and
3592 independently using the original context.
3596 Now that we have prepared everything to calculate hashes, it is time to
3597 see how it is actually done. There are two ways for this, one to
3598 update the hash with a block of memory and one macro to update the hash
3599 by just one character. Both methods can be used on the same hash context.
3601 @deftypefun void gcry_md_write (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h}, const void *@var{buffer}, size_t @var{length})
3603 Pass @var{length} bytes of the data in @var{buffer} to the digest object
3604 with handle @var{h} to update the digest values. This
3605 function should be used for large blocks of data.
3608 @deftypefun void gcry_md_putc (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h}, int @var{c})
3610 Pass the byte in @var{c} to the digest object with handle @var{h} to
3611 update the digest value. This is an efficient function, implemented as
3612 a macro to buffer the data before an actual update.
3615 The semantics of the hash functions do not provide for reading out intermediate
3616 message digests because the calculation must be finalized first. This
3617 finalization may for example include the number of bytes hashed in the
3618 message digest or some padding.
3620 @deftypefun void gcry_md_final (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h})
3622 Finalize the message digest calculation. This is not really needed
3623 because @code{gcry_md_read} does this implicitly. After this has been
3624 done no further updates (by means of @code{gcry_md_write} or
3625 @code{gcry_md_putc} are allowed. Only the first call to this function
3626 has an effect. It is implemented as a macro.
3629 The way to read out the calculated message digest is by using the
3632 @deftypefun {unsigned char *} gcry_md_read (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h}, int @var{algo})
3634 @code{gcry_md_read} returns the message digest after finalizing the
3635 calculation. This function may be used as often as required but it will
3636 always return the same value for one handle. The returned message digest
3637 is allocated within the message context and therefore valid until the
3638 handle is released or reseted (using @code{gcry_md_close} or
3639 @code{gcry_md_reset}. @var{algo} may be given as 0 to return the only
3640 enabled message digest or it may specify one of the enabled algorithms.
3641 The function does return @code{NULL} if the requested algorithm has not
3645 Because it is often necessary to get the message digest of one block of
3646 memory, a fast convenience function is available for this task:
3648 @deftypefun void gcry_md_hash_buffer (int @var{algo}, void *@var{digest}, const void *@var{buffer}, size_t @var{length});
3650 @code{gcry_md_hash_buffer} is a shortcut function to calculate a message
3651 digest of a buffer. This function does not require a context and
3652 immediately returns the message digest of the @var{length} bytes at
3653 @var{buffer}. @var{digest} must be allocated by the caller, large
3654 enough to hold the message digest yielded by the the specified algorithm
3655 @var{algo}. This required size may be obtained by using the function
3656 @code{gcry_md_get_algo_dlen}.
3658 Note that this function will abort the process if an unavailable
3662 @c ***********************************
3663 @c ***** MD info functions ***********
3664 @c ***********************************
3666 Hash algorithms are identified by internal algorithm numbers (see
3667 @code{gcry_md_open} for a list). However, in most applications they are
3668 used by names, so two functions are available to map between string
3669 representations and hash algorithm identifiers.
3671 @deftypefun {const char *} gcry_md_algo_name (int @var{algo})
3673 Map the digest algorithm id @var{algo} to a string representation of the
3674 algorithm name. For unknown algorithms this function returns the
3675 string @code{"?"}. This function should not be used to test for the
3676 availability of an algorithm.
3679 @deftypefun int gcry_md_map_name (const char *@var{name})
3681 Map the algorithm with @var{name} to a digest algorithm identifier.
3682 Returns 0 if the algorithm name is not known. Names representing
3683 @acronym{ASN.1} object identifiers are recognized if the @acronym{IETF}
3684 dotted format is used and the OID is prefixed with either "@code{oid.}"
3685 or "@code{OID.}". For a list of supported OIDs, see the source code at
3686 @file{cipher/md.c}. This function should not be used to test for the
3687 availability of an algorithm.
3690 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_md_get_asnoid (int @var{algo}, void *@var{buffer}, size_t *@var{length})
3692 Return an DER encoded ASN.1 OID for the algorithm @var{algo} in the
3693 user allocated @var{buffer}. @var{length} must point to variable with
3694 the available size of @var{buffer} and receives after return the
3695 actual size of the returned OID. The returned error code may be
3696 @code{GPG_ERR_TOO_SHORT} if the provided buffer is to short to receive
3697 the OID; it is possible to call the function with @code{NULL} for
3698 @var{buffer} to have it only return the required size. The function
3699 returns 0 on success.
3704 To test whether an algorithm is actually available for use, the
3705 following macro should be used:
3707 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_md_test_algo (int @var{algo})
3709 The macro returns 0 if the algorithm @var{algo} is available for use.
3712 If the length of a message digest is not known, it can be retrieved
3713 using the following function:
3715 @deftypefun {unsigned int} gcry_md_get_algo_dlen (int @var{algo})
3717 Retrieve the length in bytes of the digest yielded by algorithm
3718 @var{algo}. This is often used prior to @code{gcry_md_read} to allocate
3719 sufficient memory for the digest.
3723 In some situations it might be hard to remember the algorithm used for
3724 the ongoing hashing. The following function might be used to get that
3727 @deftypefun int gcry_md_get_algo (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h})
3729 Retrieve the algorithm used with the handle @var{h}. Note that this
3730 does not work reliable if more than one algorithm is enabled in @var{h}.
3733 The following macro might also be useful:
3735 @deftypefun int gcry_md_is_secure (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h})
3737 This function returns true when the digest object @var{h} is allocated
3738 in "secure memory"; i.e. @var{h} was created with the
3739 @code{GCRY_MD_FLAG_SECURE}.
3742 @deftypefun int gcry_md_is_enabled (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h}, int @var{algo})
3744 This function returns true when the algorithm @var{algo} has been
3745 enabled for the digest object @var{h}.
3750 Tracking bugs related to hashing is often a cumbersome task which
3751 requires to add a lot of printf statements into the code.
3752 Libgcrypt provides an easy way to avoid this. The actual data
3753 hashed can be written to files on request.
3755 @deftypefun void gcry_md_debug (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h}, const char *@var{suffix})
3757 Enable debugging for the digest object with handle @var{h}. This
3758 creates create files named @file{dbgmd-<n>.<string>} while doing the
3759 actual hashing. @var{suffix} is the string part in the filename. The
3760 number is a counter incremented for each new hashing. The data in the
3761 file is the raw data as passed to @code{gcry_md_write} or
3762 @code{gcry_md_putc}. If @code{NULL} is used for @var{suffix}, the
3763 debugging is stopped and the file closed. This is only rarely required
3764 because @code{gcry_md_close} implicitly stops debugging.
3768 The following two deprecated macros are used for debugging by old code.
3769 They shopuld be replaced by @code{gcry_md_debug}.
3771 @deftypefun void gcry_md_start_debug (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h}, const char *@var{suffix})
3773 Enable debugging for the digest object with handle @var{h}. This
3774 creates create files named @file{dbgmd-<n>.<string>} while doing the
3775 actual hashing. @var{suffix} is the string part in the filename. The
3776 number is a counter incremented for each new hashing. The data in the
3777 file is the raw data as passed to @code{gcry_md_write} or
3778 @code{gcry_md_putc}.
3782 @deftypefun void gcry_md_stop_debug (gcry_md_hd_t @var{h}, int @var{reserved})
3784 Stop debugging on handle @var{h}. @var{reserved} should be specified as
3785 0. This function is usually not required because @code{gcry_md_close}
3786 does implicitly stop debugging.
3790 @c **********************************************************
3791 @c ******************* Random *****************************
3792 @c **********************************************************
3793 @node Random Numbers
3794 @chapter Random Numbers
3797 * Quality of random numbers:: Libgcrypt uses different quality levels.
3798 * Retrieving random numbers:: How to retrieve random numbers.
3801 @node Quality of random numbers
3802 @section Quality of random numbers
3804 @acronym{Libgcypt} offers random numbers of different quality levels:
3806 @deftp {Data type} gcry_random_level_t
3807 The constants for the random quality levels are of this enum type.
3811 @item GCRY_WEAK_RANDOM
3812 For all functions, except for @code{gcry_mpi_randomize}, this level maps
3813 to GCRY_STRONG_RANDOM. If you do not want this, consider using
3814 @code{gcry_create_nonce}.
3815 @item GCRY_STRONG_RANDOM
3816 Use this level for session keys and similar purposes.
3817 @item GCRY_VERY_STRONG_RANDOM
3818 Use this level for long term key material.
3821 @node Retrieving random numbers
3822 @section Retrieving random numbers
3824 @deftypefun void gcry_randomize (unsigned char *@var{buffer}, size_t @var{length}, enum gcry_random_level @var{level})
3826 Fill @var{buffer} with @var{length} random bytes using a random quality
3827 as defined by @var{level}.
3830 @deftypefun {void *} gcry_random_bytes (size_t @var{nbytes}, enum gcry_random_level @var{level})
3832 Convenience function to allocate a memory block consisting of
3833 @var{nbytes} fresh random bytes using a random quality as defined by
3837 @deftypefun {void *} gcry_random_bytes_secure (size_t @var{nbytes}, enum gcry_random_level @var{level})
3839 Convenience function to allocate a memory block consisting of
3840 @var{nbytes} fresh random bytes using a random quality as defined by
3841 @var{level}. This function differs from @code{gcry_random_bytes} in
3842 that the returned buffer is allocated in a ``secure'' area of the
3846 @deftypefun void gcry_create_nonce (unsigned char *@var{buffer}, size_t @var{length})
3848 Fill @var{buffer} with @var{length} unpredictable bytes. This is
3849 commonly called a nonce and may also be used for initialization
3850 vectors and padding. This is an extra function nearly independent of
3851 the other random function for 3 reasons: It better protects the
3852 regular random generator's internal state, provides better performance
3853 and does not drain the precious entropy pool.
3859 @c **********************************************************
3860 @c ******************* S-Expressions ***********************
3861 @c **********************************************************
3863 @chapter S-expressions
3865 S-expressions are used by the public key functions to pass complex data
3866 structures around. These LISP like objects are used by some
3867 cryptographic protocols (cf. RFC-2692) and Libgcrypt provides functions
3868 to parse and construct them. For detailed information, see
3869 @cite{Ron Rivest, code and description of S-expressions,
3870 @uref{http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/~rivest/sexp.html}}.
3873 * Data types for S-expressions:: Data types related with S-expressions.
3874 * Working with S-expressions:: How to work with S-expressions.
3877 @node Data types for S-expressions
3878 @section Data types for S-expressions
3880 @deftp {Data type} gcry_sexp_t
3881 The @code{gcry_sexp_t} type describes an object with the Libgcrypt internal
3882 representation of an S-expression.
3885 @node Working with S-expressions
3886 @section Working with S-expressions
3889 There are several functions to create an Libgcrypt S-expression object
3890 from its external representation or from a string template. There is
3891 also a function to convert the internal representation back into one of
3892 the external formats:
3895 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_sexp_new (@w{gcry_sexp_t *@var{r_sexp}}, @w{const void *@var{buffer}}, @w{size_t @var{length}}, @w{int @var{autodetect}})
3897 This is the generic function to create an new S-expression object from
3898 its external representation in @var{buffer} of @var{length} bytes. On
3899 success the result is stored at the address given by @var{r_sexp}.
3900 With @var{autodetect} set to 0, the data in @var{buffer} is expected to
3901 be in canonized format, with @var{autodetect} set to 1 the parses any of
3902 the defined external formats. If @var{buffer} does not hold a valid
3903 S-expression an error code is returned and @var{r_sexp} set to
3905 Note that the caller is responsible for releasing the newly allocated
3906 S-expression using @code{gcry_sexp_release}.
3909 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_sexp_create (@w{gcry_sexp_t *@var{r_sexp}}, @w{void *@var{buffer}}, @w{size_t @var{length}}, @w{int @var{autodetect}}, @w{void (*@var{freefnc})(void*)})
3911 This function is identical to @code{gcry_sexp_new} but has an extra
3912 argument @var{freefnc}, which, when not set to @code{NULL}, is expected
3913 to be a function to release the @var{buffer}; most likely the standard
3914 @code{free} function is used for this argument. This has the effect of
3915 transferring the ownership of @var{buffer} to the created object in
3916 @var{r_sexp}. The advantage of using this function is that Libgcrypt
3917 might decide to directly use the provided buffer and thus avoid extra
3921 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_sexp_sscan (@w{gcry_sexp_t *@var{r_sexp}}, @w{size_t *@var{erroff}}, @w{const char *@var{buffer}}, @w{size_t @var{length}})
3923 This is another variant of the above functions. It behaves nearly
3924 identical but provides an @var{erroff} argument which will receive the
3925 offset into the buffer where the parsing stopped on error.
3928 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_sexp_build (@w{gcry_sexp_t *@var{r_sexp}}, @w{size_t *@var{erroff}}, @w{const char *@var{format}, ...})
3930 This function creates an internal S-expression from the string template
3931 @var{format} and stores it at the address of @var{r_sexp}. If there is a
3932 parsing error, the function returns an appropriate error code and stores
3933 the offset into @var{format} where the parsing stopped in @var{erroff}.
3934 The function supports a couple of printf-like formatting characters and
3935 expects arguments for some of these escape sequences right after
3936 @var{format}. The following format characters are defined:
3940 The next argument is expected to be of type @code{gcry_mpi_t} and a copy of
3941 its value is inserted into the resulting S-expression.
3943 The next argument is expected to be of type @code{char *} and that
3944 string is inserted into the resulting S-expression.
3946 The next argument is expected to be of type @code{int} and its value is
3947 inserted into the resulting S-expression.
3949 The next argument is expected to be of type @code{int} directly
3950 followed by an argument of type @code{char *}. This represents a
3951 buffer of given length to be inserted into the resulting regular
3956 No other format characters are defined and would return an error. Note
3957 that the format character @samp{%%} does not exists, because a percent
3958 sign is not a valid character in an S-expression.
3961 @deftypefun void gcry_sexp_release (@w{gcry_sexp_t @var{sexp}})
3963 Release the S-expression object @var{sexp}.
3968 The next 2 functions are used to convert the internal representation
3969 back into a regular external S-expression format and to show the
3970 structure for debugging.
3972 @deftypefun size_t gcry_sexp_sprint (@w{gcry_sexp_t @var{sexp}}, @w{int @var{mode}}, @w{char *@var{buffer}}, @w{size_t @var{maxlength}})
3974 Copies the S-expression object @var{sexp} into @var{buffer} using the
3975 format specified in @var{mode}. @var{maxlength} must be set to the
3976 allocated length of @var{buffer}. The function returns the actual
3977 length of valid bytes put into @var{buffer} or 0 if the provided buffer
3978 is too short. Passing @code{NULL} for @var{buffer} returns the required
3979 length for @var{buffer}. For convenience reasons an extra byte with
3980 value 0 is appended to the buffer.
3983 The following formats are supported:
3986 @item GCRYSEXP_FMT_DEFAULT
3987 Returns a convenient external S-expression representation.
3989 @item GCRYSEXP_FMT_CANON
3990 Return the S-expression in canonical format.
3992 @item GCRYSEXP_FMT_BASE64
3993 Not currently supported.
3995 @item GCRYSEXP_FMT_ADVANCED
3996 Returns the S-expression in advanced format.
4000 @deftypefun void gcry_sexp_dump (@w{gcry_sexp_t @var{sexp}})
4002 Dumps @var{sexp} in a format suitable for debugging to Libgcrypt's
4007 Often canonical encoding is used in the external representation. The
4008 following function can be used to check for valid encoding and to learn
4009 the length of the S-expression"
4011 @deftypefun size_t gcry_sexp_canon_len (@w{const unsigned char *@var{buffer}}, @w{size_t @var{length}}, @w{size_t *@var{erroff}}, @w{int *@var{errcode}})
4013 Scan the canonical encoded @var{buffer} with implicit length values and
4014 return the actual length this S-expression uses. For a valid S-expression
4015 it should never return 0. If @var{length} is not 0, the maximum
4016 length to scan is given; this can be used for syntax checks of
4017 data passed from outside. @var{errcode} and @var{erroff} may both be
4018 passed as @code{NULL}.
4024 There are a couple of functions to parse S-expressions and retrieve
4027 @deftypefun gcry_sexp_t gcry_sexp_find_token (@w{const gcry_sexp_t @var{list}}, @w{const char *@var{token}}, @w{size_t @var{toklen}})
4029 Scan the S-expression for a sublist with a type (the car of the list)
4030 matching the string @var{token}. If @var{toklen} is not 0, the token is
4031 assumed to be raw memory of this length. The function returns a newly
4032 allocated S-expression consisting of the found sublist or @code{NULL}
4037 @deftypefun int gcry_sexp_length (@w{const gcry_sexp_t @var{list}})
4039 Return the length of the @var{list}. For a valid S-expression this
4040 should be at least 1.
4044 @deftypefun gcry_sexp_t gcry_sexp_nth (@w{const gcry_sexp_t @var{list}}, @w{int @var{number}})
4046 Create and return a new S-expression from the element with index @var{number} in
4047 @var{list}. Note that the first element has the index 0. If there is
4048 no such element, @code{NULL} is returned.
4051 @deftypefun gcry_sexp_t gcry_sexp_car (@w{const gcry_sexp_t @var{list}})
4053 Create and return a new S-expression from the first element in
4054 @var{list}; this called the "type" and should always exist and be a
4055 string. @code{NULL} is returned in case of a problem.
4058 @deftypefun gcry_sexp_t gcry_sexp_cdr (@w{const gcry_sexp_t @var{list}})
4060 Create and return a new list form all elements except for the first one.
4061 Note that this function may return an invalid S-expression because it
4062 is not guaranteed, that the type exists and is a string. However, for
4063 parsing a complex S-expression it might be useful for intermediate
4064 lists. Returns @code{NULL} on error.
4068 @deftypefun {const char *} gcry_sexp_nth_data (@w{const gcry_sexp_t @var{list}}, @w{int @var{number}}, @w{size_t *@var{datalen}})
4070 This function is used to get data from a @var{list}. A pointer to the
4071 actual data with index @var{number} is returned and the length of this
4072 data will be stored to @var{datalen}. If there is no data at the given
4073 index or the index represents another list, @code{NULL} is returned.
4074 @strong{Caution:} The returned pointer is valid as long as @var{list} is
4075 not modified or released.
4078 Here is an example on how to extract and print the surname (Meier) from
4079 the S-expression @samp{(Name Otto Meier (address Burgplatz 3))}:
4085 name = gcry_sexp_nth_data (list, 2, &len);
4086 printf ("my name is %.*s\n", (int)len, name);
4090 @deftypefun {char *} gcry_sexp_nth_string (@w{gcry_sexp_t @var{list}}, @w{int @var{number}})
4092 This function is used to get and convert data from a @var{list}. The
4093 data is assumed to be a Nul terminated string. The caller must
4094 release this returned value using @code{gcry_free}. If there is
4095 no data at the given index, the index represents a list or the value
4096 can't be converted to a string, @code{NULL} is returned.
4099 @deftypefun gcry_mpi_t gcry_sexp_nth_mpi (@w{gcry_sexp_t @var{list}}, @w{int @var{number}}, @w{int @var{mpifmt}})
4101 This function is used to get and convert data from a @var{list}. This
4102 data is assumed to be an MPI stored in the format described by
4103 @var{mpifmt} and returned as a standard Libgcrypt MPI. The caller must
4104 release this returned value using @code{gcry_mpi_release}. If there is
4105 no data at the given index, the index represents a list or the value
4106 can't be converted to an MPI, @code{NULL} is returned.
4110 @c **********************************************************
4111 @c ******************* MPIs ******** ***********************
4112 @c **********************************************************
4114 @chapter MPI library
4117 * Data types:: MPI related data types.
4118 * Basic functions:: First steps with MPI numbers.
4119 * MPI formats:: External representation of MPIs.
4120 * Calculations:: Performing MPI calculations.
4121 * Comparisons:: How to compare MPI values.
4122 * Bit manipulations:: How to access single bits of MPI values.
4123 * Miscellaneous:: Miscellaneous MPI functions.
4126 Public key cryptography is based on mathematics with large numbers. To
4127 implement the public key functions, a library for handling these large
4128 numbers is required. Because of the general usefulness of such a
4129 library, its interface is exposed by Libgcrypt.
4130 In the context of Libgcrypt and in most other applications, these large
4131 numbers are called MPIs (multi-precision-integers).
4136 @deftp {Data type} {gcry_mpi_t}
4137 This type represents an object to hold an MPI.
4140 @node Basic functions
4141 @section Basic functions
4144 To work with MPIs, storage must be allocated and released for the
4145 numbers. This can be done with one of these functions:
4147 @deftypefun gcry_mpi_t gcry_mpi_new (@w{unsigned int @var{nbits}})
4149 Allocate a new MPI object, initialize it to 0 and initially allocate
4150 enough memory for a number of at least @var{nbits}. This pre-allocation is
4151 only a small performance issue and not actually necessary because
4152 Libgcrypt automatically re-allocates the required memory.
4155 @deftypefun gcry_mpi_t gcry_mpi_snew (@w{unsigned int @var{nbits}})
4157 This is identical to @code{gcry_mpi_new} but allocates the MPI in the so
4158 called "secure memory" which in turn will take care that all derived
4159 values will also be stored in this "secure memory". Use this for highly
4160 confidential data like private key parameters.
4163 @deftypefun gcry_mpi_t gcry_mpi_copy (@w{const gcry_mpi_t @var{a}})
4165 Create a new MPI as the exact copy of @var{a}.
4169 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_release (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{a}})
4171 Release the MPI @var{a} and free all associated resources. Passing
4172 @code{NULL} is allowed and ignored. When a MPI stored in the "secure
4173 memory" is released, that memory gets wiped out immediately.
4177 The simplest operations are used to assign a new value to an MPI:
4179 @deftypefun gcry_mpi_t gcry_mpi_set (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{w}}, @w{const gcry_mpi_t @var{u}})
4181 Assign the value of @var{u} to @var{w} and return @var{w}. If
4182 @code{NULL} is passed for @var{w}, a new MPI is allocated, set to the
4183 value of @var{u} and returned.
4186 @deftypefun gcry_mpi_t gcry_mpi_set_ui (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{w}}, @w{unsigned long @var{u}})
4188 Assign the value of @var{u} to @var{w} and return @var{w}. If
4189 @code{NULL} is passed for @var{w}, a new MPI is allocated, set to the
4190 value of @var{u} and returned. This function takes an @code{unsigned
4191 int} as type for @var{u} and thus it is only possible to set @var{w} to
4192 small values (usually up to the word size of the CPU).
4195 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_swap (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{a}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{b}})
4197 Swap the values of @var{a} and @var{b}.
4201 @section MPI formats
4204 The following functions are used to convert between an external
4205 representation of an MPI and the internal one of Libgcrypt.
4207 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_mpi_scan (@w{gcry_mpi_t *@var{r_mpi}}, @w{enum gcry_mpi_format @var{format}}, @w{const unsigned char *@var{buffer}}, @w{size_t @var{buflen}}, @w{size_t *@var{nscanned}})
4209 Convert the external representation of an integer stored in @var{buffer}
4210 with a length of @var{buflen} into a newly created MPI returned which
4211 will be stored at the address of @var{r_mpi}. For certain formats the
4212 length argument is not required and should be passed as @code{0}. After a
4213 successful operation the variable @var{nscanned} receives the number of
4214 bytes actually scanned unless @var{nscanned} was given as
4215 @code{NULL}. @var{format} describes the format of the MPI as stored in
4219 @item GCRYMPI_FMT_STD
4220 2-complement stored without a length header.
4222 @item GCRYMPI_FMT_PGP
4223 As used by OpenPGP (only defined as unsigned). This is basically
4224 @code{GCRYMPI_FMT_STD} with a 2 byte big endian length header.
4226 @item GCRYMPI_FMT_SSH
4227 As used in the Secure Shell protocol. This is @code{GCRYMPI_FMT_STD}
4228 with a 4 byte big endian header.
4230 @item GCRYMPI_FMT_HEX
4231 Stored as a C style string with each byte of the MPI encoded as 2 hex
4232 digits. When using this format, @var{buflen} must be zero.
4234 @item GCRYMPI_FMT_USG
4235 Simple unsigned integer.
4239 Note that all of the above formats store the integer in big-endian
4244 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_mpi_print (@w{enum gcry_mpi_format @var{format}}, @w{unsigned char *@var{buffer}}, @w{size_t @var{buflen}}, @w{size_t *@var{nwritten}}, @w{const gcry_mpi_t @var{a}})
4246 Convert the MPI @var{a} into an external representation described by
4247 @var{format} (see above) and store it in the provided @var{buffer}
4248 which has a usable length of at least the @var{buflen} bytes. If
4249 @var{nwritten} is not NULL, it will receive the number of bytes
4250 actually stored in @var{buffer} after a successful operation.
4253 @deftypefun gcry_error_t gcry_mpi_aprint (@w{enum gcry_mpi_format @var{format}}, @w{unsigned char **@var{buffer}}, @w{size_t *@var{nbytes}}, @w{const gcry_mpi_t @var{a}})
4255 Convert the MPI @var{a} into an external representation described by
4256 @var{format} (see above) and store it in a newly allocated buffer which
4257 address will be stored in the variable @var{buffer} points to. The
4258 number of bytes stored in this buffer will be stored in the variable
4259 @var{nbytes} points to, unless @var{nbytes} is @code{NULL}.
4262 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_dump (@w{const gcry_mpi_t @var{a}})
4264 Dump the value of @var{a} in a format suitable for debugging to
4265 Libgcrypt's logging stream. Note that one leading space but no trailing
4266 space or linefeed will be printed. It is okay to pass @code{NULL} for
4272 @section Calculations
4275 Basic arithmetic operations:
4277 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_add (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{w}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{u}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{v}})
4279 @math{@var{w} = @var{u} + @var{v}}.
4283 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_add_ui (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{w}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{u}}, @w{unsigned long @var{v}})
4285 @math{@var{w} = @var{u} + @var{v}}. Note that @var{v} is an unsigned integer.
4289 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_addm (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{w}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{u}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{v}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{m}})
4291 @math{@var{w} = @var{u} + @var{v} \bmod @var{m}}.
4294 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_sub (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{w}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{u}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{v}})
4296 @math{@var{w} = @var{u} - @var{v}}.
4299 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_sub_ui (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{w}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{u}}, @w{unsigned long @var{v}})
4301 @math{@var{w} = @var{u} - @var{v}}. @var{v} is an unsigned integer.
4304 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_subm (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{w}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{u}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{v}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{m}})
4306 @math{@var{w} = @var{u} - @var{v} \bmod @var{m}}.
4309 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_mul (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{w}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{u}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{v}})
4311 @math{@var{w} = @var{u} * @var{v}}.
4314 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_mul_ui (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{w}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{u}}, @w{unsigned long @var{v}})
4316 @math{@var{w} = @var{u} * @var{v}}. @var{v} is an unsigned integer.
4319 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_mulm (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{w}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{u}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{v}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{m}})
4321 @math{@var{w} = @var{u} * @var{v} \bmod @var{m}}.
4324 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_mul_2exp (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{w}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{u}}, @w{unsigned long @var{e}})
4326 @c FIXME: I am in need for a real TeX{info} guru:
4327 @c I don't know why TeX can grok @var{e} here.
4328 @math{@var{w} = @var{u} * 2^e}.
4331 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_div (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{q}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{r}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{dividend}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{divisor}}, @w{int @var{round}})
4333 @math{@var{q} = @var{dividend} / @var{divisor}}, @math{@var{r} =
4334 @var{dividend} \bmod @var{divisor}}. @var{q} and @var{r} may be passed
4335 as @code{NULL}. @var{round} should be negative or 0.
4338 @deftypefun void gcry_mpi_mod (@w{gcry_mpi_t @var{r}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{dividend}}, @w{gcry_mpi_t @var{divisor}})