Envoy Envoy Not Terminating SSL

What is Envoy Envoy Not Terminating SSL

Understanding Envoy Proxy

Envoy is a high-performance open-source edge and service proxy designed for cloud-native applications. It is often used to manage microservices traffic, providing features like load balancing, service discovery, and observability. One of its key functionalities is SSL termination, which allows Envoy to handle incoming encrypted traffic by decrypting it before forwarding it to backend services.

Identifying the Symptom: Envoy Not Terminating SSL

When Envoy is not terminating SSL as expected, you might observe that encrypted traffic is not being decrypted, leading to failed connections or errors in communication with backend services. This issue can manifest as an inability to establish a secure connection or as an error message indicating SSL handshake failures.

Exploring the Issue: Misconfiguration in SSL Termination

The root cause of Envoy not terminating SSL often lies in misconfiguration. This can include incorrect SSL certificate paths, missing private keys, or improperly configured listener settings. Ensuring that Envoy is correctly set up to handle SSL termination is crucial for maintaining secure communications.

Common Misconfigurations

Incorrect file paths for SSL certificates and keys. Missing or incorrect tls_context configuration in the Envoy listener. Improperly configured SNI (Server Name Indication) settings.

Steps to Fix Envoy SSL Termination

To resolve the issue of Envoy not terminating SSL, follow these steps:

Step 1: Verify SSL Certificate and Key Paths

Ensure that the paths to your SSL certificate and private key are correct and accessible by Envoy. Check the tls_context configuration in your Envoy YAML file:

static_resources: listeners: - name: listener_0 address: socket_address: { address: 0.0.0.0, port_value: 443 } filter_chains: - filters: - name: envoy.filters.network.http_connection_manager config: codec_type: AUTO stat_prefix: ingress_http route_config: name: local_route virtual_hosts: - name: local_service domains: ["*"] routes: - match: { prefix: "/" } route: { cluster: service_cluster } http_filters: - name: envoy.filters.http.router transport_socket: name: envoy.transport_sockets.tls typed_config: "@type": type.googleapis.com/envoy.extensions.transport_sockets.tls.v3.DownstreamTlsContext common_tls_context: tls_certificates: - certificate_chain: { filename: "/etc/envoy/certs/server.crt" } private_key: { filename: "/etc/envoy/certs/server.key" }

Step 2: Check Listener Configuration

Ensure that your listener is correctly configured to handle SSL traffic. The transport_socket section should be properly set up to use TLS.

Step 3: Validate SNI Settings

If you are using SNI, ensure that the SNI settings match the domain names you are serving. This can be configured under the filter_chains section.

Step 4: Test the Configuration

After making the necessary changes, restart Envoy and test the configuration by attempting to connect to your service using a tool like cURL or OpenSSL to ensure that SSL termination is functioning correctly.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve issues related to Envoy not terminating SSL. Proper configuration of SSL certificates, keys, and listener settings is crucial for maintaining secure and reliable communications in your microservices architecture. For more detailed information, refer to the Envoy Listener Configuration documentation.