APNS + PHP “stream_socket_client(): Failed to enable crypto”

Question

I'm having trouble with using APNS with PHP and getting the following message:

stream_socket_client(): Failed to enable crypto

The problem only happens sometimes, and other times it would actually send the push.

Since I have the test script on a loop of 10 iterations, I would sometimes get this:

stream_socket_client(): SSL: Connection reset by peer

I'm testing using the sandbox server tls://gateway.sandbox.push.apple.com:2195

Here is what I tried:

• I tried to reissue the PEM and all certificates with it.
• I played around with the request protocol sslv3:// and tls://.
• I played around with the passphrase (push worked without the passphrase btw)
• I tried searching stackoverflow for a solution and nothing worked.
• Checked pem file permissions 644
• Checked pem parent directories permissions 755

It seems that all the solutions I found on Google and SO are people having problem pushing altogether.

I feel like the service is rate limited maybe? Because we waited a while (around 15 minutes) and then tried it again, and was able to successfully push around 100 messages until I started getting that message again.

Answer 1

The sandbox push service is rate limited. I have experienced this myself when testing but have never encountered any such limit using the production API.

You might also be hitting their other protections.

Are you opening a connection, sending a message, closing connection and then looping and doing it all over again?

That will get your notifications dropped. Apple wants you to send several push notifications using the same connection, not a new one each time.

Best Practices for Managing Connections

You may establish multiple connections to the same gateway or to multiple gateway instances. If you need to send a large number of remote notifications, spread them out over connections to several different gateways. This improves performance compared to using a single connection: it lets you send the remote notifications faster, and it lets APNs deliver them faster.

Keep your connections with APNs open across multiple notifications; don’t repeatedly open and close connections. APNs treats rapid connection and disconnection as a denial-of-service attack. You should leave a connection open unless you know it will be idle for an extended period of time—for example, if you only send notifications to your users once a day it is ok to use a new connection each day.

From Apple Docs @ https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/NetworkingInternet/Conceptual/RemoteNotificationsPG/Chapters/CommunicatingWIthAPS.html

Answer 2

My PHP code was generating following error:

PHP Warning:  stream_socket_client(): Failed to enable crypto in /private/tmp/t.php on line 12
PHP Warning:  stream_socket_client(): unable to connect to ssl://gateway.sandbox.push.apple.com:2195 (Unknown error) in /private/tmp/t.php on line 12
PHP Warning:  fclose() expects parameter 1 to be resource, boolean given in /private/tmp/t.php on line 24

The problem was, the damn certificate, expired the day before yesterday! :-) Can you believe this?

So, I need to recreate my PEM file.

Answer 3

It is not necessary recreate your pem file

that error happens when you use an incorrect PassPhrase

regards Emiliano

Answer 4

I had this problem. Disappeared after giving write permission for 'everyone' for the .pem file.

Answer 5

I have this problem because I foolishly forgot to include the file extension (.pem) when supplying the file path for local_cert.

Answer 6

few checks :

1. device token should be - with out spaces and with out < or >
2. make sure the path of certificate is correct and expired date of it.
3. make sure the passphrase you are using is the one u used to make certificate

Answer 7

In my case, the issue was with my mac (OSX Sierra). I uploaded php and cert to my server, ran it, and the notification was delivered.