Improvement: Enable secure SSL certificate and hostname verification for internal traffic
- Dominant language
- Java
- Stars
- 3.1k
- Forks
- 1.4k
- Avg merge
- 6d 19h
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 32
Description
### The required feature described as a wish
For internal traffic, it is common practice that HTTPS/TLS is used, but:
- the TLS certificates are often self-signed, or issued by an internal CA (not a public one like Let’s Encrypt).
- Sometimes services just use the server’s IP address instead of a DNS name.
Disabling SSL certificate and hostname verification increases compatibility, allowing CloudStack to interoperate with a wide range of hypervisors, networking equipment, and storage devices. This behavior is intentional by design, to ensure broader support across diverse environments. For example,
- Connect to Vmware vCenter
- Connect to Xenserver
- Connect to some external storage or network devices
We could provide more flexibility and also stronger security, including but not limited to
- Allow users to bring their own SSL certificates
- Support host name (DNS) instead of host ip in SSL communication
- Add an option for enforce SSL certificate verification
- Add an option for enforce hostname verification
Contributor guide
Research direction
Review the existing SSL connection paths used for VMware vCenter, Xenserver, and external storage or network devices; the issue provides no file or test entry point. Define the certificate and hostname verification options, including support for user-supplied certificates, and cover each integration before considering the work done.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- java
- Domain
- cloud, infrastructure, security
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100