Dynamic

SSL Passthrough vs SSL Termination

Developers should use SSL Passthrough when backend applications need to process SSL/TLS encryption directly, such as in environments requiring client certificate authentication or when using specific SSL configurations not supported by the load balancer meets developers should implement ssl termination when building scalable web applications to reduce server load, centralize ssl certificate management, and enable advanced traffic inspection and routing. Here's our take.

🧊Nice Pick

SSL Passthrough

Developers should use SSL Passthrough when backend applications need to process SSL/TLS encryption directly, such as in environments requiring client certificate authentication or when using specific SSL configurations not supported by the load balancer

SSL Passthrough

Nice Pick

Developers should use SSL Passthrough when backend applications need to process SSL/TLS encryption directly, such as in environments requiring client certificate authentication or when using specific SSL configurations not supported by the load balancer

Pros

  • +It is ideal for high-security applications where end-to-end encryption must be preserved, like financial services or healthcare systems, but it increases backend server load as they handle SSL processing
  • +Related to: load-balancing, ssl-termination

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

SSL Termination

Developers should implement SSL Termination when building scalable web applications to reduce server load, centralize SSL certificate management, and enable advanced traffic inspection and routing

Pros

  • +It's essential for high-traffic websites, microservices architectures, and environments requiring content-based routing or security scanning of encrypted traffic
  • +Related to: load-balancing, reverse-proxy

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use SSL Passthrough if: You want it is ideal for high-security applications where end-to-end encryption must be preserved, like financial services or healthcare systems, but it increases backend server load as they handle ssl processing and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use SSL Termination if: You prioritize it's essential for high-traffic websites, microservices architectures, and environments requiring content-based routing or security scanning of encrypted traffic over what SSL Passthrough offers.

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The Bottom Line
SSL Passthrough wins

Developers should use SSL Passthrough when backend applications need to process SSL/TLS encryption directly, such as in environments requiring client certificate authentication or when using specific SSL configurations not supported by the load balancer

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