TLS support
- Tier: Free, Premium, Ultimate
- Offering: GitLab.com, GitLab Self-Managed, GitLab Dedicated
GitLab prioritizes the security of data transmission between users and our platforms by employing Transport Layer Security (TLS) to safeguard information as it travels across the internet.
As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, GitLab remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of security. We regularly update our TLS support to ensure that all communications with GitLab services are protected using the most secure and up-to-date encryption methods available.
This document outlines the current TLS support in GitLab, including the versions and cipher suites we use to keep your data safe and secure.
Supported protocols
GitLab supports TLS 1.2 and higher versions for secure communications. This means that TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3 are fully supported and recommended for use with GitLab.
Older protocols such as TLS 1.1, TLS 1.0, and all versions of SSL are not supported due to known security vulnerabilities. By enforcing the use of TLS 1.2 and higher, GitLab ensures a high level of security for all data transmissions and interactions with the platform.
Supported cipher suites
GitLab supports multiple cipher suites. Each of the following cipher suites are considered
secure and have an SSL server rating
of A.
| Protocol Version | Cipher Suite |
|---|---|
| TLSv1.3 | TLS_AKE_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 |
| TLSv1.3 | TLS_AKE_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 |
| TLSv1.3 | TLS_AKE_WITH_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256 |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256 |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256-draft |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256 |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256 |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA384 |
| TLSv1.2 | TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA256 |
Certificate requirements
OpenSSL 3 increased the default security level from level 1 to 2,
raising the number of bits of security from 80 to 112. As a result, RSA, DSA, and
DH keys shorter than 2048 bits and ECC keys shorter than 224 bits are
prohibited. GitLab will fail to connect to a service that uses a certificate
signed with insufficient bits with a certificate key too weak error message.
We strongly recommend using at least 128 bits of security. This means using RSA, DSA, and DH keys with at least 3072 bits, and ECC keys longer than 256 bits.
| Key type | Key length (bits) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSA | 1024 | Prohibited |
| RSA | 2048 | Supported |
| RSA | 3072 | Recommended |
| RSA | 4096 | Recommended |
| DSA | 1024 | Prohibited |
| DSA | 2048 | Supported |
| DSA | 3072 | Recommended |
| ECC | 192 | Prohibited |
| ECC | 224 | Supported |
| ECC | 256 | Recommended |
| ECC | 384 | Recommended |
OpenSSL version and TLS requirements
GitLab 17.7 and later use OpenSSL version 3. All components that are shipped with the Linux package are compatible with OpenSSL 3. However, before upgrading to GitLab 17.7, use the OpenSSL 3 guide to identify and assess the compatibility of your external integrations.
Bypassing the OpenSSL 3 requirement for close_notify
Version history
- Introduced in GitLab 17.10 and backported to GitLab 17.9.1, 17.8.4, and 17.7.6.
Per RFC 52460, a
SSL connection should be terminated with a close_notify message. OpenSSL
3 enforces this as a security measure. Some services, such as third-party S3 providers,
may report an unexpected eof while reading error because of this enforcement.
This requirement may be disabled by setting the
SSL_IGNORE_UNEXPECTED_EOF environment variable to true. This is only
intended as temporary workaround. Disabling this may introduce a security
vulnerability to truncation attacks.