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Interactive Explainer

Istio mTLS: Mutual TLS Security

How Istio automatically encrypts service-to-service traffic and enforces identity-based access control using SPIFFE/SPIRE.

🎯Key Takeaways
mTLS = both client and server verify identity
SPIFFE certificates issued per service account
STRICT mode requires mTLS; PERMISSIVE allows plain text (migration)

Istio mTLS: Mutual TLS Security

How Istio automatically encrypts service-to-service traffic and enforces identity-based access control using SPIFFE/SPIRE.

~1 min read
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What you'll learn
  • mTLS = both client and server verify identity
  • SPIFFE certificates issued per service account
  • STRICT mode requires mTLS; PERMISSIVE allows plain text (migration)

mTLS in Istio

Istio uses SPIFFE (Secure Production Identity Framework For Everyone) to issue X.509 certificates to each service. Both sides verify identity on every connection — this is mutual TLS. istiod manages the certificate lifecycle via the Citadel CA. STRICT mode requires mTLS; PERMISSIVE allows migration.

Key takeaways

  • mTLS = both client and server verify identity
  • SPIFFE certificates issued per service account
  • STRICT mode requires mTLS; PERMISSIVE allows plain text (migration)

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