What is SSL/TLS Handshake? SSL Handshake Explained

A complete guide about SSL/TSL Handshake.

SSL/TLS certificates are digital security certificates, which secure all communications made on the internet with robust encryption. Communication on the internet is made between 2 parties, i.e. browser and server.

Almost 72% of the network traffic is encrypted, which states that all these sites on the internet are secured with SSL/TLS certificates. Their URL starts with HTTPS and includes a padlock in the address bar as well, which depicts that the sites are secured with encryption.

But how does the encryption process work in the backend, and how is the confidential information secured?

wildcard ssl certificate

In this article, we will discuss how the SSL/TLS connection starts with “Handshake”, and how two parties on the internet encrypt their communications for securing websites.

What is SSL/TLS Handshake?

SSL/TLS handshake is an arbitration made between the browser and the server for establishing the connection details. Since TLS replaced SSL before some time, all SSL handshakes are now defined as TLS handshakes. Both these parties decide on the below steps:

• TLS version which is to be used
• Cryptographic algorithms are to be used
• Cipher suite required to encrypt communication
• Authentication of the server identity by checking the server’s public key and validating the digital signature of the Certificate Authority (CA) issuing SSL certificate

This is a background process, and every time a browser is directed to a secure site; this complex process functions to keep your sensitive data secured.

There are two types of SSL/TLS handshakes.

• One-Way SSL: Only the client (browser) approves the server identity
• Two-Way SSL: Both browsers and servers validate each other’s identity.

In the majority of the cases, two-way SSL is used, and both parties need to validate each other’s identity.