In a TLS/SSL handshake, clients and servers exchange SSL certificates, cipher suite requirements, and randomly generated data for creating session keys.
TLS is an encryption protocol designed to secure Internet communications. A TLS handshake is the process that kicks off a communication session that uses TLS encryption. During a TLS handshake, the two communicating sides exchange messages to acknowledge each other, verify each other, establish the encryption algorithms they will use, and agree on session keys. TLS handshakes are a foundational part of how HTTPS works.
SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, was the original encryption protocol developed for HTTP. SSL was replaced by TLS, or Transport Layer Security, some time ago. SSL handshakes are now called TLS handshakes, although the "SSL" name is still in wide use.
A TLS handshake takes place whenever a user navigates to a website over HTTPS and the browser first begins to query the website's origin server. A TLS handshake also happens whenever any other communications use HTTPS, including API calls and DNS over HTTPS queries.
TLS handshakes occur after a TCP connection has been opened via a TCP handshake.
During the course of a TLS handshake, the client and server together will do the following:
TLS handshakes are a series of datagrams, or messages, exchanged by a client and a server. A TLS handshake involves multiple steps, as the client and server exchange the information necessary for completing the handshake and making further conversation possible.
The exact steps within a TLS handshake will vary depending upon the kind of key exchange algorithm used and the cipher suites supported by both sides. The RSA key exchange algorithm is used most often. It goes as follows:
All TLS handshakes make use of asymmetric encryption (the public and private key), but not all will use the private key in the process of generating session keys. For instance, an ephemeral Diffie-Hellman handshake proceeds as follows:
*DH parameter: DH stands for Diffie-Hellman. The Diffie-Hellman algorithm uses exponential calculations to arrive at the same premaster secret. The server and client each provide a parameter for the calculation, and when combined they result in a different calculation on each side, with results that are equal.
To read more about the contrast between ephemeral Diffie-Hellman handshakes and other kinds of handshakes, and how they achieve forward secrecy, see What is Keyless SSL?
A cipher suite is a set of encryption algorithms for use in establishing a secure communications connection. (An encryption algorithm is a set of mathematical operations performed on data for making data appear random.) There are a number of cipher suites in wide use, and an essential part of the TLS handshake is agreeing upon which cipher suite will be used for that handshake.
To learn more about TLS/SSL, see How does SSL work? To test if a website uses TLS correctly, visit the Cloudflare Diagnostic Center.
After reading this article you will be able to:
What is an SSL Certificate?
Keyless SSL
What is SSL?
What is Mixed Content?
What is HTTPS?
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