SSL works by allowing the client and server to send each other encrypted data that only they can decrypt. SSL negotiates the terms of the encryption in a sequence of events known as the SSL handshake. During the handshake, the driver negotiates the highest SSL/TLS protocol available. The result of this negotiation determines the encryption cipher suite to be used for the SSL session.
The encryption cipher suite defines the type of encryption that is used for any data exchanged through an SSL connection. Some cipher suites are very secure and, therefore, require more time and resources to encrypt and decrypt data, while others provide less security, but are also less resource intensive.
The handshake involves the following types of authentication:
SSL server authentication requires the server to authenticate itself to the client.
SSL client authentication is optional and requires the client to authenticate itself to the server after the server has authenticated itself to the client.
Note: The version of SSL that is used and which SSL cryptographic algorithm is used depends on which JVM you are using. Refer to your JVM documentation for more information about its SSL support.
SSL server authentication requires the server to authenticate itself to the client.
