Psycopg2.operationalerror: ssl error: decryption failed or bad record mac

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The “psycopg2.operationalerror: ssl error: decryption failed or bad record mac” error occurs when there is a problem with the SSL connection between your application and the database server. This error is usually the result of mismatched SSL configurations or an issue with the SSL certificates being used.

To resolve this error, you need to ensure that both your application and the database server have compatible SSL configurations. Here are some steps to troubleshoot and address the issue:

  1. Verify SSL configuration: Confirm that both your application and the database server are using the same SSL configuration method (e.g., SSL mode) and version (e.g., TLS 1.2). Misconfiguration of SSL parameters can lead to decryption failure or bad record MAC errors.
  2. Examine SSL certificate validity: Check the SSL certificates being used by your application and the database server. Ensure that the certificates are valid and trusted by both sides. Expired or untrusted certificates can cause SSL errors. You may need to renew or replace the certificates if they are found to be problematic.
  3. Troubleshoot certificate chain: If your SSL certificates are signed by intermediate or root CAs, verify that the entire certificate chain is correctly installed and accessible by both your application and the database server. A missing or incomplete certificate chain can result in decryption failures.
  4. Check network connectivity: Confirm that there is no network issue preventing the SSL handshake between your application and the database server. Make sure the necessary ports are open, firewalls are configured correctly, and there are no connectivity problems that may interfere with the SSL connection.
  5. Enable detailed logging: Enable verbose logging for both your application and the database server to get more insights into the SSL negotiation process. The logs may provide additional error messages or clues about the root cause of the decryption failure or bad record MAC error.
  6. Update psycopg2 library: Ensure you are using the latest version of the psycopg2 library. Older versions may have bugs or compatibility issues with SSL. Updating to the latest version can often resolve such problems.

Here is an example of how you can modify your Python code using psycopg2 to handle SSL connections and avoid the “ssl error: decryption failed or bad record mac” error: 


import psycopg2
import ssl

# Enable SSL with necessary parameters
ssl_config = {'sslmode': 'require', 'sslrootcert': '/path/to/ca.crt', 'sslcert': '/path/to/client.crt', 'sslkey': '/path/to/client.key'}

# Establish connection using SSL configuration
conn = psycopg2.connect("dbname=mydatabase user=myuser password=mypassword host=myhost", **ssl_config)

# Continue with your database operations...

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