How to make 'simple SSL' thru Web Services?

Question

I know how to secure Web Services using certificates. that's my client code:

  SSLContext ssl = SSLContext.getInstance("SSLv3");
  KeyManagerFactory kmf = KeyManagerFactory.getInstance(KeyManagerFactory.getDefaultAlgorithm());
  KeyStore store = KeyStore.getInstance(KeyStore.getDefaultType());
  String password = Configuration.getConfig("keyStorePassword");
  store.load(new FileInputStream(new File(Configuration.getConfig("keyStore"))), password.toCharArray());
  kmf.init(store, password.toCharArray());
  KeyManager[] keyManagers = new KeyManager[1];
  keyManagers = kmf.getKeyManagers();
  TrustManagerFactory tmf = TrustManagerFactory.getInstance(TrustManagerFactory.getDefaultAlgorithm());
  tmf.init(store);
  TrustManager[] trustManagers = tmf.getTrustManagers();
  ssl.init(keyManagers, trustManagers, new SecureRandom());

  HttpsConfigurator configurator = new HttpsConfigurator(ssl);
  Integer port = Integer.parseInt(Configuration.getConfig("port"));
  HttpsServer httpsServer = HttpsServer.create(new InetSocketAddress(Configuration.getConfig("host"), port), 0);
  httpsServer.setHttpsConfigurator(configurator);

  Implementor implementor = new Implementor(); // class with @WebService etc.
  HttpContext context = (HttpContext) httpsServer.createContext("/EventWebService");
  Endpoint endpoint = Endpoint.create( implementor );
  endpoint.publish(context);

Now, how to make 'simple SSL' ? How to make SSL connection without storing certificate on the client side. (Like connecting thru HTTPS in browser)

Answer 1

Java Runtime Environment does come with a lots (most widely used) Certificate Authorities in cacerts file. If the certificate you used to secure your service is signed by one of those root CAs, then you need not worry about sharing any certificate with clients.

However if you used self-signed certificate, and you don't want to pass/import certificate in truststore then you can implement custom X509TrustManager and create custom SSLContext for your connections. More details in this blog.

Self-signed certificate are useful for development and test environments but you really should consider getting your server certificate signed from a recognized Certificate Authority like Verisign, Thwate etc.

Answer 2

If I understand you correctly, then you want to have only server-side authentication much in the same way as if you connected to an https site in your browser, without requiring your clients to manage any certificates.

Your clients would connect as usual, simply replacing an http for an https in the connection URL. Java manages its own set of "default trusted root CA authorities" in the form of cacerts, a JKS keystore file located in $JRE HOME/lib/security. If you buy a certificate from any CA whose issuing certificate roots in one of the certificates contained in cacerts, then the client's certificate validation will automagically succeed. Google for "SSL/TLS server certificate" and you will find suitable vendors.

If you would use a self-issued certificate on the other hand, then there's no way to make certificate validation succeed on the client other than importing your self-made certificate in the client's certificate trust store. But that's why a "real" SSL/TLS certificate costs money and your self-issued certificate doesn't - anyone can generate their home-grown certificates, but trusting them is an entirely different story.