---
id: ocspresponder
version: "0.5.0"
license: Apache Software License
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# ocspresponder — RFC 6960 compliant OCSP Responder framework written in Python 3.5+.

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 1.9M/mo

## What it is and what it does

ocspresponder is a framework for building RFC 6960 compliant OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) responders in Python. It provides a simple HTTP server that answers certificate status queries, allowing clients to check whether SSL/TLS certificates are valid, revoked, or unknown without downloading full certificate revocation lists.

The framework requires you to implement two custom functions: one that determines a certificate's status (good, revoked, or unknown) given its serial number, and another that retrieves the certificate itself. You supply the issuer's certificate and a dedicated OCSP responder keypair, then instantiate the OCSPResponder and call serve() to launch an HTTP server. The package currently supports the Nonce extension but does not yet handle multiple certificates per request.

Use it for:

- Building a certificate status service for a private PKI or internal CA infrastructure.
- Implementing OCSP responder functionality for testing SSL/TLS certificate validation workflows.
- Serving certificate revocation status to clients that require real-time validation instead of CRL downloads.
- Integrating certificate status checking into a custom certificate management system.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Implements an RFC 6960 compliant OCSP Responder framework for validating certificate status over HTTP, using custom Python functions to determine certificate revocation state and retrieve certificates.

No. The package is abandoned (no releases since 2016, marked as Alpha status) and explicitly states 'Don't use for production yet.' While install friction is low and the license is permissive, the lack of maintenance, undeclared dependencies, and unresolved production-readiness issues make it unsuitable for any deployment. Use only for learning or historical reference.

## Install

pip install ocspresponder
uv add ocspresponder
poetry add ocspresponder

## Installing ocspresponder

Before you install: Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is marked as abandoned with no releases since 2016 and no recent maintenance activity, making it unsuitable for production use.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, though the abandoned status raises questions about long-term support.

Quickstart:

from ocspresponder import OCSPResponder, CertificateStatus

app = OCSPResponder(
    issuer_cert_path,
    ocsp_cert_path,
    ocsp_key_path,
    validate_func=validate,
    cert_retrieve_func=get_cert,
)
app.serve(port=8080, debug=True)

Requires Python 3.5+ and depends on ocspbuilder, asn1crypto, and Bottle libraries (not listed as explicit runtime deps in this package).

Verify before relying:

- Whether ocspbuilder, asn1crypto, and Bottle are correctly declared as runtime dependencies in the package metadata.
- Current compatibility with modern Python versions beyond 3.5.
- Whether the Nonce extension implementation (RFC 6960 Section 4.4.1) is complete and correct.
- Security implications of using an unmaintained OCSP responder in production environments.

## Package facts

- License: Apache Software License (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 1.9M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

OCSP responder server, certificate revocation status, RFC 6960 implementation, PKI certificate validation, SSL/TLS certificate status, OCSP framework python, certificate status protocol, pki, certificate-validation, abandoned

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/ocspresponder) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/ocspresponder/)