# Forcing connections to use SSL/TLS

> Once the SSL/TLS connector has been enabled per these instructions, users may still be able to access the application through the default port 8080.

URL: https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/cascade-administration/installation-and-upgrades/system-configuration/force-ssl-tls.html
category: Cascade Administration
article-type: how-to
content-kind: article
release-availability: all
tags: security, installation
updated: 2026-10-06

## Overview

Once the SSL/TLS connector has been enabled per [these instructions](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/cascade-administration/installation-and-upgrades/system-configuration/ssl-tls-configuration.html), users may still be able to access the application through the default port `8080`. There are 2 options for preventing this from occurring:

1. Comment out the `HTTP/1.1` Connector in *tomcat/conf/server.xml* (leaving only the SSL/TLS Connector).
1. Force Tomcat over SSL. To do this, edit the *tomcat/conf/web.xml* file and add a `<security-constraint>` element just before the closing `</web-app>` element. For example:
    ```markup
    <!-- Force SSL for entire site -->
     <security-constraint>
      <web-resource-collection>
       <web-resource-name>Cascade CMS</web-resource-name>
       <url-pattern>/*</url-pattern>
      </web-resource-collection>
      <user-data-constraint>
       <transport-guarantee>CONFIDENTIAL</transport-guarantee>
      </user-data-constraint>
     </security-constraint>
    ```

> **Note**
>
> More information on configuring SSL can be found at the [Apache Tomcat](https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-9.0-doc/ssl-howto.html) web site.