Enable TLS 1.3 on Windows, Linux, Apache & Nginx

[zayn_william]

How to enable TLS 1.3 on Windows, Linux, Apache & Nginx? Why needs to enable TLS 1.3? What are the benefits, and what is the default TLS on hosting?

[Rachel S]

Enable TLS on Windows:

Windows has incorporated TLS 1.3 support beginning with Windows 10 and Windows Server. Ensure that your system is up-to-date.

Enable TLS on Linux:

To activate TLS 1.3 on Linux, it's necessary to upgrade OpenSSL to a version with TLS 1.3 support.

Check whether your existing OpenSSL version is compatible with TLS 1.3:

openssl version

If your OpenSSL version is 1.1.1 or more recent, TLS 1.3 support is already in place. Should this not be the case, update OpenSSL to the latest version.

Enable TLS on Apache:

To activate TLS 1.3 on the Apache web server, adhere to the following steps:

Confirm that your Apache version is compatible with TLS 1.3. Apache versions 2.4.36 and later include TLS 1.3 support.

Access your Apache configuration file (httpd.conf or apache2.conf), typically in the directories /etc/apache2/ or /etc/httpd/.


Incorporate the subsequent line to activate TLS 1.3 support:

SSLProtocol -all +TLSv1.3

After making the changes, save them and then restart the Apache server to apply the configuration:

apachectl restart


Enable TLS on Nginx:

To activate TLS 1.3 on Nginx, it is necessary to utilize a compatible version of Nginx that supports TLS 1.3 (Nginx 1.13.0 and subsequent versions).

Access your Nginx configuration file (nginx.conf), commonly located within the directory /etc/nginx/.

Find the ssl_protocols directive within the http block and ensure that it encompasses TLS 1.3:

http {

...

ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;

...

}

After making the changes, save them and verify the Nginx configuration for any syntax errors:

nging -t

If the configuration test succeeds, reload Nginx to apply the changes:

nginx -s reload

Once you've completed your specific platform and web server procedures, TLS 1.3 should be successfully enabled and operational. Testing your server's SSL/TLS configuration using online tools or OpenSSL utilities is essential to verify that TLS 1.3 is appropriately configured and working.

Enabling TLS 1.3 offers several advantages:

1. Enhanced Security: TLS 1.3 employs more robust encryption algorithms, mitigating the chances of data interception and unauthorized access.
2. Faster Connection Establishment: TLS 1.3 minimizes initial handshake latency, resulting in quicker website loading times.
3. Forward Secrecy: TLS 1.3 ensures that past communications remain secure even if private keys are compromised in the future.
4. Improved Privacy: It provides heightened protection against passive eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks.
5. Enhanced Performance: TLS 1.3 reduces the number of round trips required for the handshake, contributing to improved overall performance.
6. Stronger Authentication: It supports more robust certificate authentication methods, lowering the risk of impersonation.

While TLS 1.0 might be activated on specific legacy servers, it is not typically encountered in modern hosting configurations.