Utilize TLS Client Profiles in IBM API Connect to secure every connection
Here in this blog, we will learn how to utilize TLS client profiles in IBM API Connect to secure every connection.
Security of API communications is critical in today’s digital environment. Through the use of TLS (Transport Layer Security) client profiles, IBM API Connect, a complete API management solution, guarantees safe, encrypted connections for every API transaction. Ensuring the security of your data and upholding confidence in your API ecosystem requires an understanding of and skill with TLS client profiles.
What is the TLS Client Profile?
The security parameters for outbound TLS connections started by the IBM API Connect are configured by an IBM API Connect TLS client profile. This configuration option covers encryption suite selection, client authentication, certificate validation, and more. You may make sure that your API interactions adhere to legal requirements and strict security standards by creating a TLS client profile.
For security purposes and to prevent incorrect setups and misconfigurations, the mapping of certificates provided by clients for certificate validation, encryption techniques, and user authentication in IBM DataPower Gateway is restricted.
To overcome this, TLS client profiles will be created in IBM API Connect Manager and assigned to a specific catalog where APIs can be mapped to a specific TLS client profile for user authentication, encryption techniques, and certificate validation. Additionally, the same thing will be automatically replicated in the certificates column of the IBM DataPower Gateway, eliminating the need for manual updates.
By this, the developers and non-admin users will be restricted from directly accessing IBM DataPower Gateway.
Let’s create and configure the TLS Client Profile in IBM API Connect Manager –
- Open the API Connect Manager
- Create a Keystore & Trust store as required in the TLS section
- Create a TLS Client profile
- Assign Keystore/trust store as per the requirement
- Select the ciphers and save the TLS Client Profile.
- Assign TLS Client Profile in Catalog
- Now Map the API with appropriate TLS client profile in invoke and save.
- Open DataPower Gateway and check whether the certificate is updated.
Note: The certificate name will be saved in the following format in the IBM DataPower Gateway
$(api.org.name)_$(api.catalog.name)_tlsp-genV1.0.0-ca-0