What does TLS stand for?

What does TLS stand for? TLS stands for Transport Layer Security.

TLS is a cryptographic protocol that protects data exchanged across networks. It provides confidentiality by encrypting traffic, integrity by detecting tampering, and authentication by helping verify a server’s identity through digital certificates.

TLS evolved from the earlier Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol. Although people still casually say “SSL,” modern secure connections generally use TLS; SSL versions are obsolete and insecure. TLS is especially visible in HTTPS, but it also protects email, instant messaging, voice-over-IP, and other applications.

A common mix-up is “Transport Level Security” or “Transmission Layer Security,” neither of which is the protocol’s name. TLS is also distinct from DTLS, or Datagram Transport Layer Security, which adapts similar security ideas for datagram-based traffic such as UDP.