TLS handshake

Definitions

1. The multi-step negotiation process that establishes an encrypted connection between a client and server. During the handshake, the parties agree on a TLS version, select cipher suites, authenticate the server's certificate, and derive shared session keys. TLS 1.3 reduced this from two round-trips to one, significantly improving connection latency.

   In plain English: The behind-the-scenes negotiation your browser does with a website to set up an encrypted connection — it happens in milliseconds before any data flows.

   Example: Page load times improved by 100ms just from upgrading to TLS 1.3, which cut the handshake from two round-trips to one.

Related Terms

• Man-in-the-Middle Attack
• Encryption
• TLS
• VPN
• DTLS
• Encryption in Transit
• IPSec
• OpenVPN
• Transport Layer Security
• Cryptography