What is OpenSSL? and How to Install OpenSSL 3 on Ubuntu 22.04

What is OpenSSL?

OpenSSL is an open-source software library that provides cryptographic functions, protocols, and tools to secure communication over computer networks. It offers a wide range of features related to secure socket layer (SSL) and transport layer security (TLS) protocols, as well as encryption, decryption, digital signatures, and certificate management.

OpenSSL is widely used in various applications, including web servers, email servers, virtual private networks (VPNs), and many other network services. It allows developers to incorporate strong encryption and security features into their applications. 

Some common use cases of OpenSSL include:

Secure Communication: OpenSSL enables secure communication between clients and servers by implementing SSL/TLS protocols. This ensures that data transmitted over networks remains confidential and protected against eavesdropping or tampering.

Certificate Management: OpenSSL provides tools to generate, manage, and validate digital certificates. Certificates are used to authenticate the identity of entities such as websites, servers, or individuals, ensuring secure connections.

Cryptographic Operations: OpenSSL supports various cryptographic operations, such as symmetric encryption (e.g., AES), asymmetric encryption (e.g., RSA), digital signatures (e.g., RSA, DSA), and hash functions (e.g., SHA-256). These operations are essential for data protection and integrity.

Key and Certificate Generation: OpenSSL allows the generation of cryptographic keys and certificates for various purposes, such as creating self-signed certificates or establishing secure communication channels.

SSL/TLS Testing and Analysis: OpenSSL includes diagnostic and testing tools that can be used to troubleshoot SSL/TLS-related issues, analyze certificates, and verify the security configuration of servers.

OpenSSL is available as a library that developers can integrate into their applications, as well as a command-line tool for performing cryptographic operations and managing certificates. It is supported on various operating systems, including Linux, macOS, and Windows.

In this article, we will guide you through the installation process of Openssl 3.0.8 on Ubuntu 22.04.

Install OpenSSL 3 on Ubuntu 22.04

Before we begin, make sure that your Ubuntu 22.04 is installed.

Step 1 – Install Dependencies

First, you need to install some dependencies required for the installation of openssl. Open your terminal and run the following command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install wget

This command will update the package list and install the required dependencies, including wget.

Step 2 – Enter to super user

sudo bash

Step 3 – Create folder 

mkdir /root/ca

Step 4 – Go to /root/ca folder directory

cd /root/ca

Step 5 – Download and Extract Source File

We will download the latest stable version of the 3.0 series. This is also our Long Term Support (LTS) version, supported until 7th September 2026.

Download OpenSSL 3.0.8 using wget command.

wget --no--check-certificate https://www.openssl.org/source/openssl-3.0.8.tar.gz

Now, extract the tar file.

tar -xzvf openssl-3.0.8.tar.gz

Step 6 – Configure and Build

cd openssl-3.0.8
sudo ./config
make && make test

Now move the openssl to tmp directory.

mv /usr/bin/openssl ~/temp

Run the following commands.

make install
ln -s /usr/local/bin/openssl /usr/bin/openssl
perl configdata.pm --dump
ldconfig

Step 7 – Add the following path

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/ssl/lib/
ldconfig /usr/local/lib64

Now, let’s verify the installation and version of the OpenSSL.

openssl version

Output will be similar like:

OpenSSL 3.0.8 7 Feb 2023 (Library: OpenSSL 3.0.2 15 Mar 2022)

Now it’s updated to a new one.

Also Read: How to Install Spring tool suite(STS 4) in Ubuntu 22.04