TLS Versions Explained: 1.0 to 1.3
TLS (formerly SSL) is the protocol behind the padlock. Which version a connection negotiates affects both security and performance.
At a glance
| Version | Year | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSL 2.0 / 3.0 | 1995–96 | Removed | Broken (POODLE); never enable |
| TLS 1.0 | 1999 | Deprecated (RFC 8996) | Disable |
| TLS 1.1 | 2006 | Deprecated (RFC 8996) | Disable |
| TLS 1.2 | 2008 | OK | Still widely required |
| TLS 1.3 | 2018 | Preferred | Faster, safer defaults |
What TLS 1.3 changed
TLS 1.3 removed the old, vulnerable ciphers (RC4, CBC-mode MtE, static RSA key exchange) and made forward secrecy mandatory. It also cut the handshake from two round trips to one (and 0-RTT for resumption), so HTTPS connections feel noticeably faster.
What to require today
Require TLS 1.2 as a minimum and prefer 1.3. Browsers have removed 1.0/1.1, and PCI DSS forbids them. You can see which version a server negotiates with our SSL/TLS checker (it reports the negotiated version), and harden the rest of the response with HTTP security headers.
Note: "Supports TLS 1.3" and "requires TLS 1.2 minimum" are different settings. Configure both: offer 1.3, and refuse anything below 1.2.