Laravel error: SSL operation failed with code 1 (3 solutions)

The Problem

When working with Laravel, developers may encounter a variety of errors. One such error is ‘SSL operation failed with code 1’. This error can occur in various scenarios such as when making HTTP requests to a server with an invalid SSL certificate, configuration issues, or server-side problems. Understanding the root cause is essential to fix this error properly. In this guide, we will look at some common causes and their solutions.

Solution 1: Update CA Certificates

The error might be a result of outdated CA (Certificate Authority) certificates. Updating the CA certificates package on your server can resolve SSL issues.

1. Connect to your server using SSH.
2. Update the CA certificates package:
   sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ca-certificates
3. Restart your web server to apply changes. For example, for Apache:
   sudo service apache2 restart

No code change in your Laravel application is necessary for this solution.

Note: CA certificates are part of the system dependencies and not directly related to the Laravel application’s code. Hence, this solution doesn’t require any code changes in Laravel.

Solution 2: Configure GuzzleHTTP Client

If the error occurs when Laravel is using GuzzleHTTP client for external HTTPS requests, you might need to configure it to handle SSL certificates differently.

1. Install Guzzle if it’s not already included with:
   composer require guzzlehttp/guzzle
2. Create a new GuzzleHTTP client instance in your code and configure it to ignore SSL certificate checks (not recommended for production because of security concerns):
   $client = new \\
GuzzleHttp\\Client(['verify' => false]);
3. Send a request using the newly created Guzzle client.
   $response = $client->get('https://your-api-url');

Code Example:

use GuzzleHttp\\Client; 
$client = new Client(['verify' => false]); 
$response = $client->get('https://your-api-url'); 
echo $response->getBody();

Note: Disabling SSL verification is a quick fix and not recommended for production environments as it poses security risks. It should only be used as a temporary measure or in a controlled development environment.

Solution 3: Use HTTP Instead of HTTPS

Temporarily switching from HTTPS to HTTP in your requests could bypass the SSL error for development and testing. Be aware that this compromises the data security of your application.

1. Find the URL you’re trying to access and replace ‘https’ with ‘http’.
2. Ensure the server you’re trying to reach is accessible over HTTP and doesn’t enforce HTTPS redirects.

Code Example:

$response = file_get_contents('http://your-api-url'); 
echo$response;

Note: This solution reduces the security of your application. Therefore, it should never be used in a production setting and only for quick tests when SSL certificate verification is causing problems in development environments.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we explored some solutions for the ‘SSL operation failed with code 1’ error in Laravel. Whether it’s updating CA certificates, adjusting GuzzleHTTP client configurations, or as a last resort, switching from HTTPS to HTTP, there’s often a way to solve SSL-related issues. Always consider the security implications of your chosen solution, especially when modifying SSL-related configurations.