--- description: Learn about use mtls with cloudflare protected resources in this guide. title: Use mTLS with Cloudflare protected resources image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/og-docs.png --- [Skip to content](#main-content) > Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.cloudflare.com/learning-paths/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Use mTLS with Cloudflare protected resources Last updated Aug 24, 2026|Copy as Markdown|[View as Markdown](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/learning-paths/mtls/concepts/mtls-cloudflare/index.md)|[Agent setup](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/agent-setup/) In this implementation guide we will be focusing on the L7 / Application Layer security for HTTP/S requests targeting [proxied](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/dns/proxy-status/) hostnames, including the [first connection](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/ssl/origin-configuration/ssl-modes/) between client and Cloudflare. Some common mTLS use cases are: * Protect and verify legitimate API traffic by verifying Client Certificates provided during TLS/SSL handshakes. * Check IoT devices' identity by verifying Client Certificates they provide during TLS/SSL handshakes. There are two main ways to use mTLS at Cloudflare, either by using the Application Security offering (optionally including [API Shield](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/api-shield/)) or [Cloudflare Access](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/access-controls/policies/). Below is a non-exhaustive overview table of their differences: | Feature | Application Security (Client Certificate + WAF) | Cloudflare Access (mTLS) | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Mainly used for | External Authentication (that is, APIs) | Internal Authentication (that is, employees) | | Availability | By default, 100 Client Certificates per Zone are included for free. For more certificates or [API Shield features](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/api-shield/), contact your account team. | Zero Trust Enterprise only feature. | | [Certificate Authority (CA)](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/ssl/concepts/#certificate-authority-ca) | Cloudflare-managed or customer-uploaded (BYO CA). There's a soft-limit of up to [five customer-uploaded CAs](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/ssl/client-certificates/byo-ca/#availability). | Customer-uploaded only (BYO CA). There's a soft-limit of up to [50 CAs](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/account-limits/#access). | | Client Certificate Details | Forwarded to the origin server via [Cloudflare API](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/ssl/client-certificates/forward-a-client-certificate/#cloudflare-api), [Cloudflare Workers](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/ssl/client-certificates/forward-a-client-certificate/#cloudflare-workers), and [Managed Transforms](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/ssl/client-certificates/forward-a-client-certificate/#managed-transforms). | Forwarded to the origin server via [Cloudflare API](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/access-controls/service-credentials/mutual-tls-authentication/#cloudflare-api), [Cloudflare Workers](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/access-controls/service-credentials/mutual-tls-authentication/#cloudflare-workers), and [Managed Transforms](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/access-controls/service-credentials/mutual-tls-authentication/#managed-transforms). Client Certificate headers and [Cf-Access-Jwt-Assertion](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/access-controls/applications/http-apps/authorization-cookie/validating-json/) JWT header can be forwarded to the origin server. | | Client Certificates Revocation | Use the WAF [Custom Rules](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/waf/custom-rules/) to check for [_cf.tls\_client\_auth.cert\_revoked_](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/ssl/client-certificates/revoke-client-certificate/), which only applies to Cloudflare-managed CA. For BYO CAs, it would be the same approach as with Cloudflare Access. | Generate a [Certificate Revocation List (CRL)](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/access-controls/service-credentials/mutual-tls-authentication/#create-a-crl) and enforce the revocation in a Cloudflare Worker. | Was this helpful? YesNo ## On this page [![](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/_astro/logo.te5VL_aD.svg)Docs](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://developers.cloudflare.com/learning-paths/mtls/concepts/mtls-cloudflare/#page","headline":"Use mTLS with Cloudflare protected resources ยท Cloudflare Learning Paths","description":"Learn about use mtls with cloudflare protected resources in this guide.","url":"https://developers.cloudflare.com/learning-paths/mtls/concepts/mtls-cloudflare/","inLanguage":"en","image":"https://developers.cloudflare.com/og-docs.png","dateModified":"2026-08-24","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Cloudflare","description":"One platform for your apps, agents, and workforce. 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