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Gilles Peskine2c0cb992025-10-10 15:56:21 +02001# Migrating from Mbed TLS 3.x to TF-PSA-Crypto 1.0
2
Gilles Peskined83c4762025-10-10 16:36:42 +02003This guide details the steps required to migrate from Mbed TLS version 3.x to Mbed TLS version 4.0 or greater. Unlike normal releases, Mbed TLS 4.0 breaks compatibility with previous versions, so users, integrators and package maintainers might need to change their own code in order to make it work with Mbed TLS 4.0.
Gilles Peskine2c0cb992025-10-10 15:56:21 +02004
5Here's the list of breaking changes; each entry should help you answer these two questions: (1) am I affected? (2) if yes, what's my migration path?
6
7- Mbed TLS has been split between two products: TF-PSA-Crypto for cryptography, and Mbed TLS for X.509 and (D)TLS.
8- CMake is now the only supported build system.
9- The cryptography API is now mostly the PSA API: most legacy cryptography APIs have been removed. This has led to adaptations in some X.509 and TLS APIs, notably because the library always uses the PSA random generator.
10- Various deprecated or minor functionality has been removed.
11
12Please consult the [TF-PSA-Crypto migration guide](../tf-psa-crypto/docs/1.0-migration-guide.md) for all information related to the crytography part of the library.
13
Gilles Peskinee79923c2025-10-10 15:50:20 +020014## CMake as the only build system
15Mbed TLS now uses CMake exclusively to configure and drive its build process.
16Support for the GNU Make and Microsoft Visual Studio project-based build systems has been removed.
17
18The previous `.sln` and `.vcxproj` files are no longer distributed or generated.
19
20See the `Compiling` section in README.md for instructions on building the Mbed TLS libraries and tests with CMake.
21If you develop in Microsoft Visual Studio, you could either generate a Visual Studio solution using a CMake generator, or open the CMake project directly in Visual Studio.
22
23### Translating Make commands to CMake
24
25With the removal of GNU Make support, all build, test, and installation operations must now be performed using CMake.
26This section provides a quick reference for translating common `make` commands into their CMake equivalents.
27
28#### Basic build workflow
29
30Run `cmake -S . -B build` once before building to configure the build and generate native build files (e.g., Makefiles) in the `build` directory.
31This sets up an out-of-tree build, which is recommended.
32
33| Make command | CMake equivalent | Description |
34|----------------|------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
35| `make` | `cmake --build build` | Build the libraries, programs, and tests in the `build` directory. |
36| `make test` | `ctest --test-dir build` | Run the tests produced by the previous build. |
37| `make clean` | `cmake --build build --target clean` | Remove build artifacts produced by the previous build. |
38| `make install` | `cmake --install build --prefix build/install` | Install the built libraries, headers, and tests to `build/install`. |
39
40#### Building specific targets
41
42Unless otherwise specified, the CMake command in the table below should be preceded by a `cmake -S . -B build` call to configure the build and generate build files in the `build` directory.
43
44| Make command | CMake equivalent | Description |
45|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------|
46| `make lib` | `cmake --build build --target lib` | Build only the libraries. |
47| `make tests` | `cmake -S . -B build -DENABLE_PROGRAMS=Off && cmake --build build` | Build test suites. |
48| `make programs` | `cmake --build build --target programs` | Build example programs. |
49| `make apidoc` | `cmake --build build --target mbedtls-apidoc` | Build documentation. |
50
51Target names may differ slightly; use `cmake --build build --target help` to list all available CMake targets.
52
53There is no CMake equivalent for `make generated_files` or `make neat`.
54Generated files are automatically created in the build tree with `cmake --build build` and removed with `cmake --build build --target clean`.
55If you need to build the generated files in the source tree without involving CMake, you can call `framework/scripts/make_generated_files.py`.
56
57There is currently no equivalent for `make uninstall` in the Mbed TLS CMake build system.
58
59#### Common build options
60
61The following table illustrates the approximate CMake equivalents of common make commands.
62Most CMake examples show only the configuration step, others (like installation) correspond to different stages of the build process.
63
64| Make usage | CMake usage | Description |
65|----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|----------------------|
66| `make DEBUG=1` | `cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug` | Build in debug mode. |
67| `make SHARED=1` | `cmake -S . -B build -DUSE_SHARED_MBEDTLS_LIBRARY=On` | Also build shared libraries. |
68| `make GEN_FILES=""` | `cmake -S . -B build -DGEN_FILES=OFF` | Skip generating files (not a strict equivalent). |
69| `make DESTDIR=install_dir` | `cmake --install build --prefix install_dir` | Specify installation path. |
70| `make CC=clang` | `cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=clang` | Set the compiler. |
71| `make CFLAGS='-O2 -Wall'` | `cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS="-O2 -Wall"` | Set compiler flags. |
72
73## Repository split
74In Mbed TLS 4.0, the project was split into two repositories:
75- [Mbed TLS](https://github.com/Mbed-TLS/mbedtls): provides TLS and X.509 functionality.
76- [TF-PSA-Crypto](https://github.com/Mbed-TLS/TF-PSA-Crypto): provides the standalone cryptography library, implementing the PSA Cryptography API.
77Mbed TLS consumes TF-PSA-Crypto as a submodule.
78You should stay with Mbed TLS if you use TLS or X.509 functionality. You still have direct access to the cryptography library.
79
80### File and directory relocations
81
82The following table summarizes the file and directory relocations resulting from the repository split between Mbed TLS and TF-PSA-Crypto.
83These changes reflect the move of cryptographic, cryptographic-adjacent, and platform components from Mbed TLS into the new TF-PSA-Crypto repository.
84
85| Original location | New location(s) | Notes |
86|-----------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------|
87| `library/*` (<sup>†</sup>) | `tf-psa-crypto/core/`<br>`tf-psa-crypto/drivers/builtin/src/` | Contains cryptographic, cryptographic-adjacent (e.g., ASN.1, Base64), and platform C modules and headers. |
88| `include/mbedtls/*` (<sup>†</sup>) | `tf-psa-crypto/include/mbedtls/`<br>`tf-psa-crypto/drivers/builtin/include/private/` | Public headers moved to `include/mbedtls`; now internal headers moved to `include/private`. |
89| `include/psa` | `tf-psa-crypto/include/psa` | All PSA headers consolidated here. |
90| `3rdparty/everest`<br>`3rdparty/p256-m` | `tf-psa-crypto/drivers/everest`<br>`tf-psa-crypto/drivers/p256-m` | Third-party crypto driver implementations. |
91
92(<sup>†</sup>) The `library` and `include/mbedtls` directories still exist in Mbed TLS, but now contain only TLS and X.509 components.
93
94### Configuration file split
95Cryptography and platform configuration options have been moved from `include/mbedtls/mbedtls_config.h` to `tf-psa-crypto/include/psa/crypto_config.h`, which is now mandatory.
96See [Compile-time configuration](#compile-time-configuration).
97
98The header `include/mbedtls/mbedtls_config.h` still exists and now contains only the TLS and X.509 configuration options.
99
100If you use the Python script `scripts/config.py` to adjust your configuration, you do not need to modify your scripts to specify which configuration file to edit, the script automatically updates the correct file.
101
102There have been significant changes in the configuration options, primarily affecting cryptography.
103
104#### Cryptography configuration
105- See [psa-transition.md](https://github.com/Mbed-TLS/TF-PSA-Crypto/blob/development/docs/psa-transition.md#compile-time-configuration).
106- See also the following sections in the TF-PSA-Crypto 1.0 migration guide:
107 - *PSA as the Only Cryptography API* and its sub-section *Impact on the Library Configuration*
108 - *Random Number Generation Configuration*
109
110#### TLS configuration
111For details about TLS-related changes, see [Changes to TLS options](#changes-to-tls-options).
112
113### Impact on some usages of the library
114
115#### Checking out a branch or a tag
116After checking out a branch or tag of the Mbed TLS repository, you must now recursively update the submodules, as TF-PSA-Crypto contains itself a nested submodule:
117```
118git submodule update --init --recursive
119```
120
121#### Linking directly to a built library
122
123The Mbed TLS CMake build system still provides the cryptography libraries under their legacy name, `libmbedcrypto.<ext>`, so you can continue linking against them.
124These libraries are still located in the `library` directory within the build tree.
125
126The cryptography libraries are also now provided as `libtfpsacrypto.<ext>`, consistent with the naming used in the TF-PSA-Crypto repository.
127
128You may need to update include paths to the public header files, see [File and Directory Relocations](#file-and-directory-relocations) for details.
129
130#### Using Mbed TLS as a CMake subproject
131
132The base name of the libraries are now `tfpsacrypto` (formely `mbedcrypto`), `mbedx509` and `mbedtls`.
133As before, these base names are also the names of CMake targets to build each library.
134If your CMake scripts reference a cryptography library target, you need to update its name accordingly.
135
136For example, the following CMake code:
137```
138target_link_libraries(mytarget PRIVATE mbedcrypto)
139```
140should be updated to:
141```
142target_link_libraries(mytarget PRIVATE tfpsacrypto)
143```
144
145You can refer to the following example demonstrating how to consume Mbed TLS as a CMake subproject:
146- `programs/test/cmake_subproject`
147
148#### Using Mbed TLS as a CMake package
149
150The same renaming applies to the cryptography library targets declared as part of the Mbed TLS CMake package, use `MbedTLS::tfpsacrypto` instead of `MbedTLS::mbedcrypto`.
151
152For example, the following CMake code:
153```
154find_package(MbedTLS REQUIRED)
155target_link_libraries(myapp PRIVATE MbedTLS::mbedcrypto)
156```
157should be updated to:
158```
159find_package(MbedTLS REQUIRED)
160target_link_libraries(myapp PRIVATE MbedTLS::tfpsacrypto)
161```
162You can also refer to the following example programs demonstrating how to consume Mbed TLS as a CMake package:
163- `programs/test/cmake_package`
164- `programs/test/cmake_package_install`
165
166#### Using the Mbed TLS Crypto pkg-config file
167
168The Mbed TLS CMake build system still provides the pkg-config file mbedcrypto.pc, so you can continue using it.
169Internally, it now references the tfpsacrypto library.
170
171A new pkg-config file, `tfpsacrypto.pc`, is also provided.
172Both `mbedcrypto.pc` and `tfpsacrypto.pc` are functionally equivalent, providing the same compiler and linker flags.
173
174#### Using Mbed TLS as an installed library
175
176The Mbed TLS CMake build system still installs the cryptography libraries under their legacy name, `libmbedcrypto.<ext>`, so you can continue linking against them.
177The cryptography library is also now provided as `libtfpsacrypto.<ext>`.
178
179Regarding the headers, the main change is the relocation of some headers to subdirectories called `private`.
180These headers are installed primarily to satisfy compiler dependencies.
181Others remain for historical reasons and may be cleaned up in later versions of the library.
182
183We strongly recommend not relying on the declarations in these headers, as they may be removed or modified without notice.
184See the section Private Declarations in the TF-PSA-Crypto 1.0 migration guide for more information.
185
186Finally, note the new `include/tf-psa-crypto` directory, which contains the TF-PSA-Crypto version and build-time configuration headers.
187
188### Audience-Specific Notes
189
190#### Application Developers using a distribution package
191- See [Impact on usages of the library](#impact-on-some-usages-of-the-library) for the possible impacts on:
192 - Linking against the cryptography library or CMake targets.
193 - Using the Mbed TLS Crypto pkg-config file.
194 - Using Mbed TLS as an installed library
195
196### Developer or package maintainers
197If you build or distribute Mbed TLS:
198- The build system is now CMake only, Makefiles and Visual Studio projects are removed.
199- You may need to adapt packaging scripts to handle the TF-PSA-Crypto submodule.
200- You should update submodules recursively after checkout.
201- Review [File and directory relocations](#file-and-directory-relocations) for updated paths.
202- See [Impact on usages of the library](#impact-on-some-usages-of-the-library) for the possible impacts on:
203 - Linking against the cryptography library or CMake targets.
204 - Using the Mbed TLS Crypto pkg-config file (`mbedcrypto.pc` or `tfpsacrypto.pc`).
205 - Using Mbed TLS as an installed library
206- Configuration note: cryptography and platform options are now in `crypto_config.h` (see [Configuration file split](#configuration-file-split)).
207
208### Platform Integrators
209If you integrate Mbed TLS with a platform or hardware drivers:
210- TF-PSA-Crypto is now a submodule, update integration scripts to initialize submodules recursively.
211- The PSA driver wrapper is now generated in TF-PSA-Crypto.
212- Platform-specific configuration are now handled in `crypto_config.h`.
213- See [Repository split](#repository-split) for how platform components moved to TF-PSA-Crypto.
Gilles Peskine66719092025-10-10 15:51:17 +0200214
Gilles Peskinee79923c2025-10-10 15:50:20 +0200215## Compile-time configuration
216
217### Configuration file split
218
219All configuration options that are relevant to TF-PSA-Crypto must now be configured in one of its configuration files, namely:
220
221* `TF_PSA_CRYPTO_CONFIG_FILE`, if set on the preprocessor command line;
222* otherwise `<psa/crypto_config.h>`;
223* additionally `TF_PSA_CRYPTO_USER_CONFIG_FILE`, if set.
224
225Configuration options that are relevant to X.509 or TLS should still be set in the Mbed TLS configuration file (`MBEDTLS_CONFIG_FILE` or `<mbedtls/mbedtls_config.h>`, plus `MBEDTLS_USER_CONFIG_FILE` if it is set). However, you can define all options in the crypto configuration, and Mbed TLS will pick them up.
226
227Generally speaking, the options that must be configured in TF-PSA-Crypto are:
228
229* options related to platform settings;
230* options related to the choice of cryptographic mechanisms included in the build;
231* options related to the inner workings of cryptographic mechanisms, such as size/memory/performance compromises;
232* options related to crypto-adjacent features, such as ASN.1 and Base64.
233
234See `include/psa/crypto_config.h` in TF-PSA-Crypto and `include/mbedtls/mbedtls_config.h` in Mbed TLS for details.
235
236Notably, `<psa/crypto_config.h>` is no longer limited to `PSA_WANT_xxx` options.
237
238Note that many options related to cryptography have changed; see the TF-PSA-Crypto migration guide for details.
239
240### Split of `build_info.h` and `version.h`
241
242The header file `<mbedtls/build_info.h>`, which includes the configuration file and provides the adjusted configuration macros, now has an similar file `<tf-psa-crypto/build_info.h>` in TF-PSA-Crypto. The Mbed TLS header includes the TF-PSA-Crypto header, so including `<mbedtls/build_info.h>` remains sufficient to obtain information about the crypto configuration.
243
244TF-PSA-Crypto exposes its version through `<tf-psa-crypto/version.h>`, similar to `<mbedtls/version.h>` in Mbed TLS.
245
246### Removal of `check_config.h`
247
248The header `mbedtls/check_config.h` is no longer present. Including it from user configuration files was already obsolete in Mbed TLS 3.x, since it enforces properties the configuration as adjusted by `mbedtls/build_info.h`, not properties that the user configuration is expected to meet.
249
250### Changes to TLS options
251
252#### Enabling null cipher suites
253
254The option to enable null cipher suites in TLS 1.2 has been renamed from `MBEDTLS_CIPHER_NULL_CIPHER` to `MBEDTLS_SSL_NULL_CIPHERSUITES`. It remains disabled in the default configuration.
255
256#### Removal of backward compatibility options
257
258The option `MBEDTLS_SSL_DTLS_CONNECTION_ID_COMPAT` has been removed. Only the version standardized in RFC 9146 is supported now.
Gilles Peskine66719092025-10-10 15:51:17 +0200259
Gilles Peskinee79923c2025-10-10 15:50:20 +0200260## PSA as the only cryptography API
261
262The PSA API is now the only API for cryptographic primitives.
263
264### Impact on application code
265
Gilles Peskine2c0cb992025-10-10 15:56:21 +0200266The X.509, PKCS7 and SSL modules always use PSA for cryptography, with a few exceptions documented in the [PSA limitations](architecture/psa-migration/psa-limitations.md) document. (These limitations are mostly transparent unless you want to leverage PSA accelerator drivers.) This corresponds to the behavior of Mbed TLS 3.x when `MBEDTLS_USE_PSA_CRYPTO` is enabled. In effect, `MBEDTLS_USE_PSA_CRYPTO` is now always enabled.
Gilles Peskinee79923c2025-10-10 15:50:20 +0200267
268`psa_crypto_init()` must be called before performing any cryptographic operation, including indirect requests such as parsing a key or certificate or starting a TLS handshake.
269
270A few functions take different parameters to migrate them to the PSA API. See “[Function prototype changes](#function-prototype-changes)”.
271
272### No random generator instantiation
273
274Formerly, applications using TLS, asymmetric cryptography operations involving a private key, or other features needing random numbers, needed to provide a random generator, generally by instantiating an entropy context (`mbedtls_entropy_context`) and a DRBG context (`mbedtls_ctr_drbg_context` or `mbedtls_hmac_drbg_context`). This is no longer necessary, or possible. All features that require a random generator (RNG) now use the one provided by the PSA subsystem.
275
276Instead, applications that use random generators or keys (even public keys) need to call `psa_crypto_init()` before any cryptographic operation or key management operation.
277
278See also [function prototype changes](#function-prototype-changes), many of which are related to the move from RNG callbacks to a global RNG.
279
280### Impact on the library configuration
281
282Mbed TLS follows the configuration of TF-PSA-Crypto with respect to cryptographic mechanisms. They are now based on `PSA_WANT_xxx` macros instead of legacy configuration macros such as `MBEDTLS_RSA_C`, `MBEDTLS_PKCS1_V15`, etc. The configuration of X.509 and TLS is not directly affected by the configuration. However, applications and middleware that rely on these configuration symbols to know which cryptographic mechanisms to support will need to migrate to `PSA_WANT_xxx` macros. For more information, consult the PSA transition guide in TF-PSA-Crypto.
Gilles Peskine66719092025-10-10 15:51:17 +0200283
Gilles Peskinee79923c2025-10-10 15:50:20 +0200284## Private declarations
285
286Since Mbed TLS 3.0, some things that are declared in a public header are not part of the stable application programming interface (API), but instead are considered private. Private elements may be removed or may have their semantics changed in a future minor release without notice.
287
288### Understanding private declarations in public headers
289
290In Mbed TLS 4.x, private elements in header files include:
291
292* Anything appearing in a header file whose path contains `/private` (unless re-exported and documented in another non-private header).
293* Structure and union fields declared with `MBEDTLS_PRIVATE(field_name)` in the source code, and appearing as `private_field_name` in the rendered documentation. (This was already the case since Mbed TLS 3.0.)
294* Any preprocessor macro that is not documented with a Doxygen comment.
295 In the source code, Doxygen comments start with `/**` or `/*!`. If a macro only has a comment above that starts with `/*`, the macro is considered private.
296 In the rendered documentation, private macros appear with only an automatically rendered parameter list, value and location, but no custom text.
297* Any declaration that is guarded by the preprocessor macro `MBEDTLS_DECLARE_PRIVATE_IDENTIFIERS`.
298
299### Usage of private declarations
300
301Some private declarations are present in public headers for technical reasons, because they need to be visible to the compiler. Others are present for historical reasons and may be cleaned up in later versions of the library. We strongly recommend against relying on these declarations, since they may be removed or may have their semantics changed without notice.
302
303Note that Mbed TLS 4.0 still relies on some private interfaces of TF-PSA-Crypto 1.0. We expect to remove this reliance gradually in future minor releases.
304
305Sample programs have not been fully updated yet and some of them might still
306use APIs that are no longer public. You can recognize them by the fact that they
307define the macro `MBEDTLS_DECLARE_PRIVATE_IDENTIFIERS` (or
308`MBEDTLS_ALLOW_PRIVATE_ACCESS`) at the very top (before including headers). When
309you see one of these two macros in a sample program, be aware it has not been
310updated and parts of it do not demonstrate current practice.
311
312We strongly recommend against defining `MBEDTLS_DECLARE_PRIVATE_IDENTIFIERS` or
313`MBEDTLS_ALLOW_PRIVATE_ACCESS` in your own application. If you do so, your code
314may not compile or work with future minor releases. If there's something you
315want to do that you feel can only be achieved by using one of these two macros,
316please reach out on github or the mailing list.
Gilles Peskine66719092025-10-10 15:51:17 +0200317
Gilles Peskinee79923c2025-10-10 15:50:20 +0200318## Error codes
319
320### Unified error code space
321
322The convention still applies that functions return 0 for success and a negative value between -32767 and -1 on error. PSA functions (`psa_xxx()` or `mbedtls_psa_xxx()`) still return a `PSA_ERROR_xxx` error codes. Non-PSA functions (`mbedtls_xxx()` excluding `mbedtls_psa_xxx()`) can return either `PSA_ERROR_xxx` or `MBEDTLS_ERR_xxx` error codes.
323
324There may be cases where an `MBEDTLS_ERR_xxx` constant has the same numerical value as a `PSA_ERROR_xxx`. In such cases, they have the same meaning: they are different names for the same error condition.
325
326### Simplified legacy error codes
327
328All values returned by a function to indicate an error now have a defined constant named `MBEDTLS_ERR_xxx` or `PSA_ERROR_xxx`. Functions no longer return the sum of a “low-level” and a “high-level” error code.
329
330Generally, functions that used to return the sum of two error codes now return the low-level code. However, as before, the exact error code returned in a given scenario can change without notice unless the condition is specifically described in the function's documentation and no other condition is applicable.
331
332As a consequence, the functions `mbedtls_low_level_strerr()` and `mbedtls_high_level_strerr()` no longer exist.
333
334### Removed error code names
335
336Many legacy error codes have been removed in favor of PSA error codes. Generally, functions that returned a legacy error code in the table below in Mbed TLS 3.6 now return the PSA error code listed on the same row. Similarly, callbacks should apply the same changes to error code, unless there has been a relevant change to the callback's interface.
337
338| Legacy constant (Mbed TLS 3.6) | PSA constant (Mbed TLS 4.0) |
339|-----------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
340| `MBEDTLS_ERR_ERROR_CORRUPTION_DETECTED` | `PSA_ERROR_CORRUPTION_DETECTED` |
341| `MBEDTLS_ERR_ERROR_GENERIC_ERROR` | `PSA_ERROR_GENERIC_ERROR` |
342| `MBEDTLS_ERR_NET_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL` | `PSA_ERROR_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL` |
343| `MBEDTLS_ERR_OID_BUF_TOO_SMALL` | `PSA_ERROR_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL` |
344| `MBEDTLS_ERR_OID_NOT_FOUND` | `PSA_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED` |
345| `MBEDTLS_ERR_PKCS7_ALLOC_FAILED` | `PSA_ERROR_INSUFFICIENT_MEMORY` |
346| `MBEDTLS_ERR_PKCS7_BAD_INPUT_DATA` | `PSA_ERROR_INVALID_ARGUMENT` |
347| `MBEDTLS_ERR_PKCS7_VERIFY_FAIL` | `PSA_ERROR_INVALID_SIGNATURE` |
348| `MBEDTLS_ERR_SSL_ALLOC_FAILED` | `PSA_ERROR_INSUFFICIENT_MEMORY` |
349| `MBEDTLS_ERR_SSL_BAD_INPUT_DATA` | `PSA_ERROR_INVALID_ARGUMENT` |
350| `MBEDTLS_ERR_SSL_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL` | `PSA_ERROR_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL` |
351| `MBEDTLS_ERR_X509_ALLOC_FAILED` | `PSA_ERROR_INSUFFICIENT_MEMORY` |
352| `MBEDTLS_ERR_X509_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL` | `PSA_ERROR_BUFFER_TOO_SMALL` |
353
354See also the corresponding section in the TF-PSA-Crypto migration guide, which lists error codes from cryptography modules.
Gilles Peskine66719092025-10-10 15:51:17 +0200355
Gilles Peskinee79923c2025-10-10 15:50:20 +0200356## Removal of deprecated functions
357
358### Removal of deprecated X.509 functions
359
360The deprecated function `mbedtls_x509write_crt_set_serial()` has been removed. The function was superseded by `mbedtls_x509write_crt_set_serial_raw()`.
361
362### Removal of deprecated SSL functions
363
364The deprecated function `mbedtls_ssl_conf_curves()` has been removed.
365The function was superseded by `mbedtls_ssl_conf_groups()`.
366
367### Removal of `compat-2.x.h`
368
369The header `compat-2.x.h`, containing some definitions for backward compatibility with Mbed TLS 2.x, has been removed.
Gilles Peskine66719092025-10-10 15:51:17 +0200370
Gilles Peskinee79923c2025-10-10 15:50:20 +0200371## Removed features
372
373### Removal of obsolete key exchanges methods in (D)TLS 1.2
374
375Mbed TLS 4.0 no longer supports key exchange methods that rely on finite-field Diffie-Hellman (DHE) in TLS 1.2 and DTLS 1.2. (Only ephemeral Diffie-Hellman was ever supported, Mbed TLS 3.x already did not support static Diffie-Hellman.) Finite-field Diffie-Hellman remains supported in TLS 1.3.
376
377Mbed TLS 4.0 no longer supports key exchange methods that rely on RSA decryption (without forward secrecy). RSA signatures remain supported. This affects TLS 1.2 and DTLS 1.2 (TLS 1.3 does not have key exchanges using RSA decryption).
378
379That is, the following key exchange types are no longer supported:
380
381* RSA-PSK;
382* RSA (i.e. cipher suites using only RSA decryption: cipher suites using RSA signatures remain supported);
383* DHE-PSK (except in TLS 1.3);
384* DHE-RSA (except in TLS 1.3).
385* static ECDH (ECDH-RSA and ECDH-ECDSA, as opposed to ephemeral ECDH (ECDHE) which remains supported).
386
387The full list of removed cipher suites is:
388
389```
390TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-AES-128-CBC-SHA
391TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-AES-128-CBC-SHA256
392TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-AES-128-CCM
393TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-AES-128-CCM-8
394TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-AES-128-GCM-SHA256
395TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA
396TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA384
397TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-AES-256-CCM
398TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-AES-256-CCM-8
399TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-AES-256-GCM-SHA384
400TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-ARIA-128-CBC-SHA256
401TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-ARIA-128-GCM-SHA256
402TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-ARIA-256-CBC-SHA384
403TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-ARIA-256-GCM-SHA384
404TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-CBC-SHA256
405TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-GCM-SHA256
406TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-CBC-SHA384
407TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-GCM-SHA384
408TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-CHACHA20-POLY1305-SHA256
409TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-NULL-SHA
410TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-NULL-SHA256
411TLS-DHE-PSK-WITH-NULL-SHA384
412TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-AES-128-CBC-SHA
413TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-AES-128-CBC-SHA256
414TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-AES-128-CCM
415TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-AES-128-CCM-8
416TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-AES-128-GCM-SHA256
417TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA
418TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA256
419TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-AES-256-CCM
420TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-AES-256-CCM-8
421TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-AES-256-GCM-SHA384
422TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-ARIA-128-CBC-SHA256
423TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-ARIA-128-GCM-SHA256
424TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-ARIA-256-CBC-SHA384
425TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-ARIA-256-GCM-SHA384
426TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-CBC-SHA
427TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-CBC-SHA256
428TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-GCM-SHA256
429TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-CBC-SHA
430TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-CBC-SHA256
431TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-GCM-SHA384
432TLS-DHE-RSA-WITH-CHACHA20-POLY1305-SHA256
433TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-AES-128-CBC-SHA
434TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-AES-128-CBC-SHA256
435TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-AES-128-GCM-SHA256
436TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA
437TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA384
438TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-AES-256-GCM-SHA384
439TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-ARIA-128-CBC-SHA256
440TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-ARIA-128-GCM-SHA256
441TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-ARIA-256-CBC-SHA384
442TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-ARIA-256-GCM-SHA384
443TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-CBC-SHA256
444TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-GCM-SHA256
445TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-CBC-SHA384
446TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-GCM-SHA384
447TLS-ECDH-ECDSA-WITH-NULL-SHA
448TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-AES-128-CBC-SHA
449TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-AES-128-CBC-SHA256
450TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-AES-128-GCM-SHA256
451TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA
452TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA384
453TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-AES-256-GCM-SHA384
454TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-ARIA-128-CBC-SHA256
455TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-ARIA-128-GCM-SHA256
456TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-ARIA-256-CBC-SHA384
457TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-ARIA-256-GCM-SHA384
458TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-CBC-SHA256
459TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-GCM-SHA256
460TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-CBC-SHA384
461TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-GCM-SHA384
462TLS-ECDH-RSA-WITH-NULL-SHA
463TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-AES-128-CBC-SHA
464TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-AES-128-CBC-SHA256
465TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-AES-128-GCM-SHA256
466TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA
467TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA384
468TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-AES-256-GCM-SHA384
469TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-ARIA-128-CBC-SHA256
470TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-ARIA-128-GCM-SHA256
471TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-ARIA-256-CBC-SHA384
472TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-ARIA-256-GCM-SHA384
473TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-CBC-SHA256
474TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-GCM-SHA256
475TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-CBC-SHA384
476TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-GCM-SHA384
477TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-CHACHA20-POLY1305-SHA256
478TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-NULL-SHA
479TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-NULL-SHA256
480TLS-RSA-PSK-WITH-NULL-SHA384
481TLS-RSA-WITH-AES-128-CBC-SHA
482TLS-RSA-WITH-AES-128-CBC-SHA256
483TLS-RSA-WITH-AES-128-CCM
484TLS-RSA-WITH-AES-128-CCM-8
485TLS-RSA-WITH-AES-128-GCM-SHA256
486TLS-RSA-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA
487TLS-RSA-WITH-AES-256-CBC-SHA256
488TLS-RSA-WITH-AES-256-CCM
489TLS-RSA-WITH-AES-256-CCM-8
490TLS-RSA-WITH-AES-256-GCM-SHA384
491TLS-RSA-WITH-ARIA-128-CBC-SHA256
492TLS-RSA-WITH-ARIA-128-GCM-SHA256
493TLS-RSA-WITH-ARIA-256-CBC-SHA384
494TLS-RSA-WITH-ARIA-256-GCM-SHA384
495TLS-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-CBC-SHA
496TLS-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-CBC-SHA256
497TLS-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-128-GCM-SHA256
498TLS-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-CBC-SHA
499TLS-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-CBC-SHA256
500TLS-RSA-WITH-CAMELLIA-256-GCM-SHA384
501TLS-RSA-WITH-NULL-MD5
502TLS-RSA-WITH-NULL-SHA
503TLS-RSA-WITH-NULL-SHA256
504```
505
506As a consequence of the removal of support for DHE in (D)TLS 1.2, the following functions are no longer useful and have been removed:
507
508```
509mbedtls_ssl_conf_dh_param_bin()
510mbedtls_ssl_conf_dh_param_ctx()
511mbedtls_ssl_conf_dhm_min_bitlen()
512```
513
514### Removal of elliptic curves
515
516Following their removal from the crypto library, elliptic curves of less than 250 bits (secp192r1, secp192k1, secp224r1, secp224k1) are no longer supported in certificates and in TLS.
517
518### Removal of deprecated functions
519
520The deprecated functions `mbedtls_ssl_conf_min_version()` and `mbedtls_ssl_conf_max_version()`, and the associated constants `MBEDTLS_SSL_MAJOR_VERSION_3`, `MBEDTLS_SSL_MINOR_VERSION_3` and `MBEDTLS_SSL_MINOR_VERSION_4` have been removed. Use `mbedtls_ssl_conf_min_tls_version()` and `mbedtls_ssl_conf_max_tls_version()` with `MBEDTLS_SSL_VERSION_TLS1_2` or `MBEDTLS_SSL_VERSION_TLS1_3` instead.
521
522The deprecated function `mbedtls_ssl_conf_sig_hashes()` has been removed. Use `mbedtls_ssl_conf_sig_algs()` instead.
Gilles Peskine66719092025-10-10 15:51:17 +0200523
Gilles Peskinee79923c2025-10-10 15:50:20 +0200524## Function prototype changes
525
526A number of existing functions now take a different list of arguments, mostly to migrate them to the PSA API.
527
528### Public functions no longer take a RNG callback
529
530Functions that need randomness no longer take an RNG callback in the form of `f_rng, p_rng` arguments. Instead, they use the PSA Crypto random generator (accessible as `psa_generate_random()`). All software using the X.509 or SSL modules must call `psa_crypto_init()` before calling any of the functions listed here.
531
532### RNG removal in X.509
533
534The following function prototypes have been changed in `mbedtls/x509_crt.h`:
535
536```c
537int mbedtls_x509write_crt_der(mbedtls_x509write_cert *ctx, unsigned char *buf, size_t size,
538 int (*f_rng)(void *, unsigned char *, size_t),
539 void *p_rng);
540
541int mbedtls_x509write_crt_pem(mbedtls_x509write_cert *ctx, unsigned char *buf, size_t size,
542 int (*f_rng)(void *, unsigned char *, size_t),
543 void *p_rng);
544```
545
546to
547
548```c
549int mbedtls_x509write_crt_der(mbedtls_x509write_cert *ctx, unsigned char *buf, size_t size);
550
551int mbedtls_x509write_crt_pem(mbedtls_x509write_cert *ctx, unsigned char *buf, size_t size);
552```
553
554The following function prototypes have been changed in `mbedtls/x509_csr.h`:
555```c
556int mbedtls_x509write_csr_der(mbedtls_x509write_csr *ctx, unsigned char *buf, size_t size,
557 int (*f_rng)(void *, unsigned char *, size_t),
558 void *p_rng);
559
560int mbedtls_x509write_csr_pem(mbedtls_x509write_csr *ctx, unsigned char *buf, size_t size,
561 int (*f_rng)(void *, unsigned char *, size_t),
562 void *p_rng);
563```
564
565to
566
567```c
568int mbedtls_x509write_csr_der(mbedtls_x509write_csr *ctx, unsigned char *buf, size_t size);
569
570int mbedtls_x509write_csr_pem(mbedtls_x509write_csr *ctx, unsigned char *buf, size_t size);
571```
572
573### RNG removal in SSL
574
575The following function prototype has been changed in `mbedtls/ssl_cookie.h`:
576
577```c
578int mbedtls_ssl_cookie_setup(mbedtls_ssl_cookie_ctx *ctx,
579 int (*f_rng)(void *, unsigned char *, size_t),
580 void *p_rng);
581```
582
583to
584
585```c
586int mbedtls_ssl_cookie_setup(mbedtls_ssl_cookie_ctx *ctx);
587```
588
589### Removal of `mbedtls_ssl_conf_rng`
590
591`mbedtls_ssl_conf_rng()` has been removed from the library. Its sole purpose was to configure the RNG used for TLS, but now the PSA Crypto random generator is used throughout the library.
592
593### Changes to mbedtls_ssl_ticket_setup
594
595In the arguments of the function `mbedtls_ssl_ticket_setup()`, the `mbedtls_cipher_type_t` argument specifying the AEAD mechanism for ticket protection has been replaced by an equivalent PSA description consisting of a key type, a size and an algorithm. Also, the function no longer takes RNG arguments.
596
597The prototype in `mbedtls/ssl_ticket.h` has changed from
598
599```c
600int mbedtls_ssl_ticket_setup(mbedtls_ssl_ticket_context *ctx,
601 mbedtls_f_rng_t *f_rng, void *p_rng,
602 mbedtls_cipher_type_t cipher,
603 uint32_t lifetime);
604```
605
606to
607
608```c
609int mbedtls_ssl_ticket_setup(mbedtls_ssl_ticket_context *ctx,
610 psa_algorithm_t alg, psa_key_type_t key_type, psa_key_bits_t key_bits,
611 uint32_t lifetime);
612```
Gilles Peskine66719092025-10-10 15:51:17 +0200613
Gilles Peskinee79923c2025-10-10 15:50:20 +0200614## OID module
615
616The compilation option `MBEDTLS_OID_C` no longer exists. OID tables are included in the build automatically as needed for parsing and writing X.509 data.
617
618Mbed TLS no longer offers interfaces to look up values by OID or OID by enum values (`mbedtls_oid_get_<thing>()` and `mbedtls_oid_get_oid_by_<thing>()`).
619
620The header `<mbedtls/oid.h>` now only provides functions to convert between binary and dotted string OID representations. These functions are now part of `libmbedx509` rather than the crypto library. The function `mbedtls_oid_get_numeric_string()` is guarded by `MBEDTLS_X509_USE_C`, and `mbedtls_oid_from_numeric_string()` by `MBEDTLS_X509_CREATE_C`. The header also still defines macros for OID strings that are relevant to X.509.