This is a detailed guide on mTLS and how to implement it with Istio service mesh. We will be covering the following topics here:
- Understanding mTLS protocol wrt TCP/IP suite
- SSL vs TLS vs mTLS
- Why is mTLS important?
- Use-cases of mTLS
- Certificate Authority, Publick keys, X.509 certificate: Must-know mTLS concepts
- How does mTLS work?
- How to enable mTLS with Istio service mesh
- Certificate management for mTLS in Istio
What Is mTLS?
Mutual Transport Layer Security (mTLS) is a cryptographic protocol designed to authenticate two parties and secure their communication in the network. mTLS protocol is an extension of TLS protocol where both the parties- web client and web server- are authenticated. The primary aim of mTLS is to achieve the following: