TLS — Transport Layer Security
Qu'est-ce que TLS?
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TLS (Transport Layer Security) is the cryptographic protocol that encrypts data in transit between two systems — a browser and a web server, a SIP phone and a softswitch, or two API endpoints. In communications, TLS protects SIP call signaling so call setup details and caller information can't be read in transit, secures the HTTPS webhooks and REST APIs a platform exchanges, and encrypts email as it moves between mail servers. TLS succeeded SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), which is deprecated.
More detail
TLS uses a handshake to authenticate the server (and optionally the client) with certificates, then negotiates symmetric encryption keys for the session. Every public page load on Devotel Orbit runs over TLS, and webhook callbacks are delivered to HTTPS endpoints so message events can't be intercepted in transit.
For voice, SIP signaling can run over TLS so INVITE messages — which carry caller and dialed numbers — aren't readable on the network path; the media itself is additionally protected with SRTP. For messaging, the API calls, webhooks, and dashboard sessions that carry SMS and chat traffic all ride over HTTPS/TLS.
For email, TLS protects transmission between mail servers (SMTP over TLS), though only hop-by-hop — it doesn't replace end-to-end content encryption, which is why sensitive payloads belong in a secure link rather than the message body.
Questions fréquentes
- Is TLS the same thing as SSL?
- TLS is the successor protocol to SSL. SSL versions (up to 3.0) are deprecated and browsers and carriers have dropped them; modern traffic negotiates TLS 1.2 or 1.3. The 'SSL certificate' vocabulary stuck, but the wire protocol in use today is TLS.
- Does TLS also encrypt the voice media on a call, or only the signaling?
- SIP over TLS encrypts the call signaling — the INVITE/setup messages carrying caller and dialed numbers. The audio media itself is encrypted separately with SRTP (Secure RTP); a fully protected voice path uses both.
- What does TLS protect in a CPaaS integration?
- Three main legs: the HTTPS REST API calls your application makes, the webhook callbacks delivering delivery receipts and inbound events to your server, and, on voice, the SIP signaling path. Each leg negotiated over TLS keeps credentials, message content, and call metadata from being read in transit.
See also
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