When you see the error openssl: error while loading shared libraries: libcrypto.so.1.1: cannot open shared object file, it typically means one of three things:

• The library file is missing from your system
• The library exists but isn't in the library search path
• You have version conflicts between installed OpenSSL packages

First, let's verify what versions of OpenSSL are installed:

# Check installed OpenSSL version
rpm -qa | grep openssl

# Locate existing libcrypto files
find /usr/lib* /lib* -name "libcrypto.so*" -exec ls -la {} \;

# Check library paths
echo $LD_LIBRARY_PATH
ldconfig -v | grep libcrypto

For CentOS 6.8, the stable version is 1.0.1e. Let's reinstall it:

# Remove problematic installations
yum remove openssl -y

# Clean yum cache
yum clean all

# Install proper version
yum install openssl-1.0.1e -y

# Verify installation
openssl version

If you specifically need 1.1 version (not recommended for CentOS 6):

# Find where libcrypto.so.1.1 should be
whereis libcrypto

# Create symbolic link (example path)
ln -s /usr/local/openssl/lib/libcrypto.so.1.1 /usr/lib64/libcrypto.so.1.1

# Update library cache
ldconfig

# Verify
ldd $(which openssl)

For advanced users who need specific features:

# Download source
wget https://www.openssl.org/source/openssl-1.1.1.tar.gz
tar -xzf openssl-1.1.1.tar.gz
cd openssl-1.1.1

# Configure and install
./config --prefix=/usr/local/openssl --openssldir=/usr/local/openssl shared zlib
make
make test
make install

# Update environment variables
echo 'export PATH=/usr/local/openssl/bin:$PATH' >> /etc/profile
echo '/usr/local/openssl/lib' >> /etc/ld.so.conf.d/openssl.conf
ldconfig -v

To avoid similar problems:

• Always backup configuration files before updates
• Use yum history to track changes
• Consider using containers for testing major version upgrades
• Maintain proper documentation of all manual installations

Remember that CentOS 6 uses OpenSSL 1.0.1 by default, and upgrading to 1.1.x series requires careful consideration of all dependent applications.

This error typically occurs when there's a version mismatch between the OpenSSL binary and the required shared libraries. From your yum output, I see you're running OpenSSL 1.0.1e while the system is looking for version 1.1.x libraries.

First, let's verify the exact version and paths:

# Check OpenSSL version
openssl version -a

# Find where OpenSSL is looking for libraries
ldd $(which openssl)

# Check existing libcrypto locations
find / -name libcrypto.so* -type f 2>/dev/null

For CentOS 6.x, the most reliable solution is to create proper symlinks:

# First find where your libcrypto is installed
sudo find / -name libcrypto.so* 2>/dev/null

# Typical locations (adjust paths as needed):
sudo ln -s /usr/lib64/libcrypto.so.1.0.1e /usr/lib64/libcrypto.so.1.1
sudo ln -s /usr/lib64/libssl.so.1.0.1e /usr/lib64/libssl.so.1.1

# Update linker cache
sudo ldconfig

If you specifically need OpenSSL 1.1.x on CentOS 6:

# Install required dependencies
sudo yum install -y gcc make perl zlib-devel

# Download and compile OpenSSL 1.1.x
wget https://www.openssl.org/source/openssl-1.1.1w.tar.gz
tar -xzf openssl-1.1.1w.tar.gz
cd openssl-1.1.1w
./config --prefix=/usr/local/openssl --openssldir=/usr/local/openssl shared zlib
make
sudo make install

# Update system paths
echo '/usr/local/openssl/lib' | sudo tee /etc/ld.so.conf.d/openssl-1.1.1.conf
sudo ldconfig

After applying either solution:

# Verify library linking
ldd $(which openssl)

# Check version
openssl version

If you're using nginx, you'll need to recompile it against the new OpenSSL version:

# Find current configure arguments
nginx -V 2>&1 | grep configure

# Recompile with new OpenSSL path
./configure [your existing arguments] --with-openssl=/usr/local/openssl
make
sudo make install

If things go wrong, you can revert:

# For yum-based installations
sudo yum downgrade openssl

# For compiled installations
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/openssl
sudo rm /etc/ld.so.conf.d/openssl-1.1.1.conf
sudo ldconfig