Building _hashlib and _ssl modules

[izumiberat]

I am using Mac OS Catalina 10.15.7.

To avoid getting the following messages :

The necessary bits to build these optional modules were not found:
_hashlib _ssl

as well as:

Could not build the ssl module!
Python requires a OpenSSL 1.1.1 or newer

Based on the comments below, the solution is to indicate the OpenSSL version in the brew command: brew install openssl@1.1 and make a note to update this line with brew install openssl@3 when OpenSSL 3 is supported.

Initial (and outdated descritption below):

Running `brew install openssl@3` allowed the _hashlib _ssl modules to build, but as suggested in a comment by @ezio-melotti it seemed strange that the version needed to be specified.

I am therefore updating the documentation by leaving the suggested command line as brew install openssl rather than brew install openssl@3 but I am adding a note saying that if user gets the message

Could not build the ssl module!
Python requires a OpenSSL 1.1.1 or newer

they can try specifying the version of OpenSSL by using brew install openssl@3.

Issue number: python/cpython#93695

[tiran]

Please be aware that OpenSSL 3.0 is still not supported by Python. It's possible to compile Python with OpenSSL 3.0 but it's not tested well. I advise against examples that refer to OpenSSL 3.0.

[izumiberat]

@tiran thanks for the clarification. I updated the example with OpenSSL1.1 instead of 3.0. But maybe, in that case, the documentation should be updated so that OpenSSL1.1 is installed. I agree that as mentioned by @ezio-melotti it makes it version-specific, and it will require updating the documentation again in the future which is not ideal. But as it is currently specified in the documentation: brew install openssl xz gdbm seems to install the latest openssl version (which is 3.0).

In that case, removing my current note, and simply updating the command line brew install openssl xz gdbm by brew install openssl@1.1 xz gdbm in the documentation could work better.

[ezio-melotti]

Please be aware that OpenSSL 3.0 is still not supported by Python.

If it's not supported, documenting a command that installs it sounds wrong, so I think it's fine to document openssl@1 (or openssl@1.1).

@tiran: are there plans to add support for OpenSSL 3? If there is an issue already, a note about updating the devguide could be added there so that we don't forget.

[ezio-melotti]

I left a couple of comments, but you can wait until decide how to fix this issue before updating the PR.

[izumiberat]

If it's not supported, documenting a command that installs it sounds wrong, so I think it's fine to document openssl@1 (or openssl@1.1).

@ezio-melotti the homebrew documentation provides two options when looking up openssl: openssl@1.1 or openssl@3. We could therefore go with 1.1 for now.

[erlend-aasland]

@tiran: are there plans to add support for OpenSSL 3? If there is an issue already, a note about updating the devguide could be added there so that we don't forget.

Yes, there are multiple open issues related to OpenSSL 3 in the tracker, so adding a note would be fine.

[ezio-melotti]

Yes, there are multiple open issues related to OpenSSL 3 in the tracker, so adding a note would be fine.

Is there a meta-issue or anyway an issue that once closed will allow the switch to openssl@3? If so, the note should be added there. Another option is to create a project to group the OpenSSL issues, including a draft issue to update the devguide.

[erlend-aasland]

Is there a meta-issue or anyway an issue that once closed will allow the switch to openssl@3? If so, the note should be added there. Another option is to create a project to group the OpenSSL issues, including a draft issue to update the devguide.

I don't think there's a meta issue, so creating a project SGTM.

[izumiberat]

@ezio-melotti I am unclear as to where needs to be noted the switch to openssl@3, but this is what could be added:

Note for when OpenSSL3 becomes supported
Please update the documentation Getting Started: brew install openssl@1.1 needs to be updated with brew install openssl@3. It is related to #892.

Once we made a note of this somewhere (happy to do it if you can tell me where), this PR could be merged as it is.

[ezio-melotti]

I created a project about OpenSSL 3 with a draft issue about updating the devguide:
OpenSSL 3 (view)

[izumiberat]

project about OpenSSL 3 with a draft issue about updating the devguide:
OpenSSL 3 (view)

@ezio-melotti I get a 404 error message. If it is a permission issue, don't worry about it.

[erlend-aasland]

I get a 404 error message. If it is a permission issue, don't worry about it.

The project is currently marked "private". I guess Ezio will make it public sooner or later :)

[izumiberat]

@erlend-aasland or @ezio-melotti does one of you want to merge this PR to main?

[erlend-aasland]

Thanks for the heads-up and thanks for the PR!