Options for configuring TLS

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This document contains an overview of how you configure TLS on Edge for two functional areas:

1. Access to your API proxies by API clients. Use virtual hosts on the Edge Router to configure TLS.
2. Access to your backend services by Edge. Use target endpoints and target servers on the Edge Message Processor to configure TLS.

Both of these access types are shown below:

About setting TLS options in a virtual host or target endpoint/target server

A virtual host can be represented by an XML object, in the form:

<VirtualHost name="secure">
    ...
    <SSLInfo> 
        <Enabled>true</Enabled> 
        <ClientAuthEnabled>true</ClientAuthEnabled> 
        <KeyStore>ref://myKeystoreRef</KeyStore> 
        <KeyAlias>myKeyAlias</KeyAlias> 
        <TrustStore>ref://myTruststoreRef</TrustStore> 
        <IgnoreValidationErrors>false</IgnoreValidationErrors>
    </SSLInfo>
</VirtualHost>

The area of the virtual host that a you modify to configure TLS is defined by the <SSLInfo> tag. You use the same <SSLInfo> tag to configure a target endpoint or target server.

The following table describes the TLS configuration elements used by the <SSLInfo> tag:

<CommonName wildcardMatch="true">*.myhost.com</CommonName>

About setting the <KeyStore> and <TrustStore> elements

In the virtual host example above, the keystore and truststore are specified by using references, in the form:

<KeyStore>ref://myKeystoreRef</KeyStore>
<TrustStore>ref://myTruststoreRef</TrustStore>

Apigee strongly recommends that you always use references to the keystore and truststore. A reference is a variable that contains the name of the keystore or truststore, rather than specifying the keystore name directly. In this example:

• myKeystoreRef is a reference that contains the name of the keystore. In this example, the name of the keystore is myKeystore.
• myTruststoreRef is a reference that contains the name of the truststore. In this example, the name of the truststore is myTruststore.

When a cert expires, you have to update the virtual host or target endpoint/target server to specify the keystore or truststore containing the new cert. The advantage of a reference is that you can modify the value of the reference to change the keystore or truststore without having to modify the virtual host or target endpoint/target server itself:

• For Cloud customers: Changing the value of the reference does not require you to contact Apigee Edge Support.
• For Private Cloud customers: Changing the value of the reference does not require you to restart Edge components, such as Routers and Message Processors.

Alternatively, you can specify the keystore name and truststore name directly:

<KeyStore>myKeystore</KeyStore>
<TrustStore>myTruststore</TrustStore> 

If you directly specify the name of the keystore or truststore, then Cloud customers must contact Apigee Edge Support and Private Cloud customers must restart certain Edge components to update the cert.

A third option, for target endpoints/target server only, is to use flow variables:

<KeyStore>{ssl.keystore}</KeyStore>
<TrustStore>{ssl.truststore}</TrustStore> 

Flow variables work for target endpoints/target servers and let you update the keystore or truststore like references. However, they do not work with virtual hosts, and require you to pass information about the keystore, alias, and truststore on every request.

Restrictions in using references to keystores and truststore

Paid Cloud customers and all Private Cloud customers configuring TLS must take into account the following restriction when using references to keystores and truststores:

• You can only use keystore and truststore references in virtual hosts if you terminate TLS on the Apigee Routers.

• If you have a load balancer in front of the Apigee Routers, and you terminate TLS on the load balancer, then you cannot use keystore and truststore references in virtual hosts.

If your existing virtual host uses a literal keystore or truststore name

Existing virtual hosts on Edge might not be configured to use references for keystores and truststores. In this case, you can update the virtual host to use a reference.

1. Edge for the Cloud

   To change the virtual host to use a reference to the keystore you must work with Apigee Edge Support.

2. Edge for the Private Cloud

   To convert the virtual host to use a reference:

   1. Update the virtual host to use a reference.
   2. Restart the Routers.
   See "Modifying a virtual host to use references to the keystore and truststore" in Configuring TLS access to an API for the Private Cloud for more.

About using the Apigee free trial cert and key

If you have a paid Edge for Cloud account and do not yet have a TLS cert and key, you can create a virtual host that uses the Apigee free trial cert and key. That means you can create the virtual host without first creating a keystore.

An XML object that defines the virtual host using the Apigee free trial cert and key omits the <KeyStore> and <KeyAlias> elements, and replaces them with the <UseBuiltInFreeTrialCert> element, as shown below:

<VirtualHost name="myTLSVHost">
    <HostAliases>
        <HostAlias>myapi.apigee.net</HostAlias>
    </HostAliases>
    <Port>443</Port>
    <SSLInfo>
        <Enabled>true</Enabled>
        <ClientAuthEnabled>false</ClientAuthEnabled>
    </SSLInfo>
    <UseBuiltInFreeTrialCert>true</UseBuiltInFreeTrialCert>
</VirtualHost>

If you are performing two-way TLS, you must still set the <ClientAuthEnabled> element to true, and specify a truststore by using a reference with the <TrustStore> element.

See Configuring virtual hosts for the Cloud for more.

About configuring TLS

Two main factors determine how you perform TLS configuration:

• Are you an Edge Cloud or Private Cloud customer?
• How are you going to update expired or expiring certs?

Cloud and Private Cloud configuration options

The following table shows the different configuration options for Cloud and Private Cloud customers:

Private Cloud customers have complete control over the configuration of both virtual hosts and target endpoints/target servers. That control includes the ability to create and delete virtual hosts, and set all properties on a virtual host.

All Cloud customers, both paid and evaluation, have complete control over the configuration of target endpoints/target servers. In addition, paid Cloud customers have complete control of virtual hosts, including TLS properties.

Handling expired certificates

If a TLS certificate expires, or if your system configuration changes such that the certificate is no longer valid, then you need to update the certificate. When configuring TLS for a virtual host or target endpoint/target server, you should decide how you are going to perform that update before you perform any configuration.

When a cert expires

On Edge, you store certs in one of two places:

• Keystore - Contains the TLS certificate and private key used to identify the entity during TLS handshaking.
• Truststore - Contains trusted certificates on a TLS client used to validate a TLS server's certificate presented to the client. These certificates are typically self-signed certificates, certificates signed by a trusted CA, or certs used as part of two-way TLS.

When a cert in a keystore expires, and you are using a reference to the keystore, you cannot upload a new cert to the keystore. Instead, you:

1. Create a new keystore.
2. Upload the new cert to the new keystore using the same alias name as in the old keystore.
3. Update the reference in your virtual host or target server/target endpoint to use the new keystore.

When a cert in a truststore expires, and you are using a reference to the truststore, you:

1. Create a new truststore.
2. Upload the new cert to the new truststore. The alias name does not matter for truststores. Note: If a cert is part of a chain, then you must either create a single file containing all the certs and upload that file to a single alias, or upload all certs in the chain separately to the truststore using a different alias for each cert.
3. Update the reference in your virtual host or target server/target endpoint to use the new truststore.

Summary of methods of updating an expired cert

The method that you use to specify the name of the keystore and truststore in the virtual host or target endpoint/target server determines how you perform the cert update. You can use:

• References
• Direct names
• Flow variables

Each of these methods has different repercussions on the update process, as described in the following table. As you can see, references provide the greatest flexibility for both Cloud and Private Cloud customers: