How To Install OpenSSL-Devel In Ubuntu? (Updated 2023)

To install OpenSSL development package in Ubuntu, you can use the apt package manager and follow these steps:

  1. Open a terminal on your Ubuntu system.
  2. Update the package list by running the following command
  3. Install the OpenSSL development package by running the following command
  4. Enter your password when prompted, and press Enter to confirm the installation.

The OpenSSL development package should now be installed on your Ubuntu system. You can use it for developing or building software that requires OpenSSL libraries and headers.

Some of the most popular web servers (NGINX, Apache, etc.) and their encryption algorithms work smoothly with OpenSSL. Here’s the step-by-step guide on how you can install the OpenSSL development library in Ubuntu.  

How To Install OpenSSL Libraries On Ubuntu?

How To Install OpenSSL-Devel In Ubuntu?


First, you need to refresh the cache data on Ubuntu before moving with the install openssl ubuntu process. Then, run the “sudo apt command” on Ubuntu to update the list of apt packages Additionally, you must install Development Tools or build-essential packages as they are essential for compiling the OpenSSL library from the source.

Once you are through with all these essential installations, you can move on with the installation process of the ubuntu openssl-devel library. Follow the below-shared steps to install OpenSSL:

Step-1: Download OpenSSL From Source Code

The first step is to download the OpenSSL library from different versions available on the source code. You can choose to run the latest version of OpenSSL on your system or any other version supporting your system. The command to download OpenSSL is:

To avoid any errors related to verification, you can also download the MD5 hash and verify the integrity of the file you have downloaded. After downloading these files, you can start the process of building OpenSSL from the source code. 

Step-2: Extract content From Download Package

Once the file is downloaded, you have to extract its content. Make sure to verify the contents of the ubuntu install openssl dev file before extracting to avoid any verification or configuration error. You can do this by running the following command:

After extracting the content of the downloaded file, you need to move to the source directory and start building the OpenSSL library on your system by using the “./Configure” command with different options for different purposes.

There are many options for the compiler, optimization, and several other configurations. All these options are handy when working with an application as they help you avoid several errors related to compilation during the installation process. 

Step – 3: Configuration of the OpenSSL

The next step is the configuration of OpenSSL, which you have downloaded into your system. Run this below shared command and use optimal condition to assign prefix and directory for the file storage location. 

In the above-shared command, the –openssldir and –prefix sets the path for the output of openssl dev ubuntu. While installing OpenSSL, you can change the directory path to your choice and copy files and folders by changing the path address in “/usr/local/openssl.”  However, beware of any error messages while changing the directory. 

Step – 4: Compiling the OpenSSL

After you have configured the OpenSSL, you need to compile it. To compile it, run this command:

This command shared above will compile the openssl-devel ubuntu library in your system and install it in the default directory. But, again, look out for error messages to ensure the system verifies them.

After the installation of the OpenSSL is complete, you can go ahead and test it by running its validation on any sample key or certificate. Validation will ensure that everything checks out fine and OpenSSL-devel is now ready to use in your applications.

In addition, you can check all different compilation options by using the command “man./Configure” and relevant output on your terminal screen. OpenSSL-devel is an important part of your application that needs to be installed on your system. This will help you to customize the OpenSSL library and build working applications.

OpenSSL Headers And Build Errors


Once the OpenSSL is installed on your system, you need to configure it in your application’s source code. This can be done by adding direct access to openssl-devel headers and library files to your system. To build applications in Linux, you need to add several other libraries and header files in the application’s directory.

The security features of OpenSSL are provided by different types of headers categorized under several C header files. You need to install OpenSSL in your current operating system to use these headers. By default, Ubuntu already has its OpenSSL installed.

However, suppose you are trying to build an application from a source on Ubuntu with any other version of OpenSSL. In that case, you might face a few errors while building an application with the wrong versions of headers and libraries.

The simple question, like how to install openssl, is to use the apt-get command under most of the Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, Debian, Arch Linux, and many more. The installation process might differ slightly from one distribution to another, but all the packages have the same name: libssl-dev.

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Install OpenSSL Development Libraries And Packages


The Development Libraries and Packages in OpenSSL are available under the file name “libssl-dev.” You need to install the development libraries and packages in your system. It is easier to install an openssl development package these libraries and packages under different directories to properly locate the library files and headers for your application.

The package name for Ubuntu or any other apt-based distributions is “libssl-dev.” The following information about OpenSSL development libraries and packages can be displayed:

  • Package: libssl-dev
  • Priority: optional
  • Version: 1.1.1f-1ubuntu4.3
  • Source: openssl
  • Section: libdevel
  • Origin: Ubuntu
  • Original-Maintainer: Debian OpenSSL Team pkg-openssl-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org
  • Installed-Size: 8.050 kB
  • Bugs: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+filebug
  • Conflicts: libssl1.0-dev
  • Depends: libssl1.1 (= 1.1.1f-1ubuntu4.3)
  • APT-Manual-Installed: yes
  • APT-Sources: http://tr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu groovy-updates/main amd64 Packages
  • Description: development files under the Secure Sockets Layer toolkit

This above-shared package falls under the project of OpenSSL implementations of cryptographic protocols like TLS and SSL to ensure secure internet communication. Additionally, this package contains header files, manpages, and development libraries for libcrypto and libssl. Run the following command to install OpenSSL Development Libraries and package:

sudo apt install libssl-dev

Here, the “libssl” is the package’s name, and “dev” simplifies that this whole package is a development library. Users who use the apt-get command to manage the package instead of the regular apt can run “sudo apt-get install libssl-dev” to successfully install OpenSSL development libraries and packages.

Install OpenSSL Development Libraries From Source


Although apt-get in Ubuntu is the safest method to install a package, it cannot be used to install header files. The recommended way is to install the development libraries and headers from the source. You can get the OpenSSL source code by using this search function in your terminal:

sudo apt search openssl

The above-shared command will display any packages of the OpenSSL toolkit that you can use to download and compile OpenSSL into your system. Download and build both the libraries from source by running “$ sudo dpkg –force-architecture -i libssl1.0.0-dev_1.0.1f-1ubuntu4~16.04_amd64. 

Using source code for installation has its pros and cons. When you install OpenSSL using the source code, you have the liberty to choose any version you want and install it in your system.

There is no need to depend on any specific version or update offered by the Linux Distribution. However, installing OpenSSL development libraries from source code is more complicated than with package manager.

Frequently Asked Question


Q1. What is OpenSSL devel?
Ans. OpenSSL devel is a set of libraries and header files that provide cryptographic features to OpenSSL. The major difference between OpenSSL development libraries and package is that you can use the development libraries only if you compile your application by yourself.

When you use package manager, the package installer manages to install both libssl-dev and libcrypto1 packages in your system.

Q2. How do I install Libssl?
Ans. The simplest way to install OpenSSL libraries on amazon Linux 2 openssl 1.1.1 is using the package manager. However, it should be noted that you can use any other method to install the development libraries in your system. The easiest and recommended way to install libssl is by using the apt-get command under Ubuntu and any other version of Linux distributions.

Q3. What is Libssl in Linux?
Ans. Libssl is a shared library found in many applications in Linux. This library provides security features and cryptographic support to the applications.

It provides support for SSL/TLS (Secure Socket Layer and Transport Layer Security) and other cryptographic protocols, such as DTLS (Datagram Transport Layer Security), S/MIME, X.509 certificates, and CRLs (Certificate Revocation List).

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