Varnish makes TLS transport easier with Hitch release
Caching specialist launches official Hitch packages, with Docker images coming soon
Stockholm, Sweden – October 22, 2020 – Varnish Software, the company behind the open source Varnish Cache reverse proxy project, is making TLS transport easier with the release of new, official Hitch packages.
The importance of secure data transport is undeniable. To help developers address this and take advantage of a wider range of TLS options, Varnish is making it even easier to work with Hitch – the high-performance, open source SSL/TLS terminator – to make managing SSL/TLS connections simpler and cleaner than ever.
With the release of Hitch 1.6, users gain more direct access to Hitch with official Hitch packages, cutting out the middleman and ensuring that the latest version is available straight from the source, without waiting for maintainers to bundle it up. Hitch will also be available soon as an official Docker image that can be easily accessed off-the-shelf from the Docker Hub.
In addition to Hitch packages and official Docker image, Hitch 1.6 introduces support for mutual TLS (client certificate authentication/TLS mutual authentication).
TLS is already used everywhere on the internet to secure connections and authenticate servers. Mutual TLS adds another level of security, allowing the server to validate the identity of its clients. Mutual TLS also offers another layer of security for use cases, such as intranets, extranets and other high-security setups that need to be accessible without being completely open.
Thijs Feryn, Technical Evangelist at Varnish Software, commented: “SSL/TLS termination shouldn’t be an afterthought, and should be handled by a tool that is built for the job. Far too many people rely on software that takes on various other roles, adding overhead and complexity in the process. By providing official Hitch packages, we aim to empower our open source community, and make SSL/TLS termination a lot easier, a lot more flexible, and a lot more lightweight.”
Varnish already releases up-to-date packages for Varnish Cache itself (Varnish Cache 6.5.0 recently became available); now, up-to-date Hitch packages join the party. These packages become available a week after official release, so that users don’t have to wait and can get them directly from the repository.
The new Hitch packages are available now, with Docker images to follow soon on the Docker Hub.
About Varnish Software
Varnish Software’s powerful caching technology helps the world’s biggest content providers deliver lightning-fast web and streaming experiences for huge audiences, without downtime or loss of performance. Our solutions combine open-source flexibility with enterprise robustness to speed up media streaming services, accelerate websites and APIs, and enable global businesses to build custom CDNs, unlocking unbeatable content delivery performance and resilience. Our customers include Hulu, Emirates and Tesla, and our technology is powered by a caching layer that’s trusted by more than 10 million websites worldwide.
Varnish Software has offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Singapore, Stockholm, Oslo and Paris.
Media Contact
Declan Bradshaw
Babel PR for Varnish Software
E-mail: varnish@babelpr.com
Tel: +44 203 058 4215