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Software Engineering vocabulary · APIs, Networking and Security

TLS handshake

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In software engineering, TLS handshake means: The opening TLS exchange that negotiates security settings and session keys, usually authenticating the server and sometimes the client.

In Turkish: TLS el sıkışması

How it is used

Used in networking, API security, and performance analysis. Engineers mention the TLS handshake when debugging certificate issues, connection failures, or startup latency.

Example sentences

  1. The first request to the payment API was slower because the TLS handshake had to complete before any application data could flow.

    Here, TLS handshake is the initial security negotiation that adds setup time before normal request and response traffic begins.

  2. Our monitoring showed failed TLS handshakes after the certificate rotation, which explained why some partner calls never reached the service.

    In this example, the term points to the connection stage where certificate validation failed, blocking communication before the API itself responded.

Common collocations

  • TLS handshake
  • failed handshake
  • handshake latency
  • complete the handshake
  • APIShort for application programming interface: a set of rules that lets one program ask another program for data or actions in a fixed, documented way.
  • authenticationThe process of checking who a user or system is, for example with a password, a token or a fingerprint, before giving access.

More terms: APIs, Networking and Security

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