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PHP SSL Encryption, Decryption, Validation, and Signing Methods Explained

gitbox 2025-06-29

SSL Encryption and Decryption

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a protocol used to secure internet communication, ensuring encrypted data transmission between a client and a server. In PHP, you can use the OpenSSL extension's functions to perform SSL encryption and decryption operations.

Encrypt Data

To encrypt data in PHP, you can use the openssl_encrypt function. Below is a simple encryption example:


$data = 'Hello, World!';
$key = 'mysecretkey';
$encryptedData = openssl_encrypt($data, 'AES-256-CBC', $key, 0, 'myiv');
echo $encryptedData;

The above code uses the AES-256-CBC algorithm to encrypt the $data. The $key is the encryption key, and $iv is the initialization vector. The encrypted result is stored in the $encryptedData variable.

Decrypt Data

To decrypt the ciphertext, you can use the openssl_decrypt function. Below is a decryption example:


$encryptedData = '...'; // Encrypted data
$key = 'mysecretkey';
$decryptedData = openssl_decrypt($encryptedData, 'AES-256-CBC', $key, 0, 'myiv');
echo $decryptedData;

This code uses the AES-256-CBC algorithm to decrypt the $encryptedData, and the decrypted data is stored in the $decryptedData variable.

SSL Validation and Signing

In addition to encryption and decryption, SSL provides data validation and signing features to ensure the integrity of the data and the authenticity of its origin.

Validate Data

To validate a digital signature, you can use the openssl_verify function. Below is an example of validation:


$data = 'Hello, World!';
$signature = '...'; // Digital signature
$publicKey = openssl_get_publickey(file_get_contents('public.pem'));
$isValid = openssl_verify($data, $signature, $publicKey, OPENSSL_ALGO_SHA256);
if ($isValid) {
    echo 'Data is verified.';
} else {
    echo 'Data is not verified.';
}

This code validates the $data signature using a public key. If the validation is successful, the $isValid variable will be true; otherwise, it will be false.

Sign Data

To sign data, you can use the openssl_sign function. Below is an example of signing:


$data = 'Hello, World!';
$privateKey = openssl_get_privatekey(file_get_contents('private.pem'));
openssl_sign($data, $signature, $privateKey, OPENSSL_ALGO_SHA256);
echo $signature;

This code signs the $data using a private key, and the signature is stored in the $signature variable.

Conclusion

In this article, we introduced how to perform SSL encryption, decryption, validation, and signing in PHP using the OpenSSL extension. By mastering these techniques, you can better secure your data and ensure its integrity. We hope this guide has been helpful.