How to fix Error: no ciphers available (TLS cipher list is empty or invalid) in Node.js

const tls = require('tls');

// List all available ciphers
console.log('Available ciphers:', tls.getCiphers());

// Check TLS version support
const crypto = require('crypto');
console.log('OpenSSL version:', process.versions.openssl);

// ❌ WRONG - Using protocol names as ciphers
const options = {
  ciphers: 'TLSv1.2:TLSv1.3'  // These are NOT cipher names
};

// ✅ CORRECT - Using actual cipher suite names
const options = {
  ciphers: 'ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384'
};

// ✅ BETTER - Use the secure default
const options = {
  // Don't specify ciphers unless you have a specific requirement
};

# ❌ WRONG - SECLEVEL=0 may conflict with TLS 1.3
node --tls-cipher-list=DEFAULT@SECLEVEL=0 app.js

# ✅ CORRECT - Use default security level (2)
node app.js

# ✅ OR - Configure in code for better control

const tls = require('tls');

const options = {
  // Include security level in cipher string
  ciphers: 'ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384@SECLEVEL=1',
  minVersion: 'TLSv1.2',
  maxVersion: 'TLSv1.3'
};

const server = tls.createServer(options, (socket) => {
  console.log('Connection established');
});

# Check if the variable is set
echo $NODE_CIPHER_LIST

# Unset it if it contains invalid ciphers
unset NODE_CIPHER_LIST

# Or set it to a valid cipher list
export NODE_CIPHER_LIST="ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384"

const tls = require('tls');

const options = {
  // TLS 1.3 cipher suites (use their full names starting with TLS_)
  ciphersuites: 'TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256:TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384',

  // TLS 1.2 and earlier ciphers (separate option)
  ciphers: 'ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384',

  minVersion: 'TLSv1.2',
  maxVersion: 'TLSv1.3'
};

const server = tls.createServer(options, (socket) => {
  console.log('Secure connection established');
});

server.listen(8443);

# Test cipher list validity
openssl ciphers -v 'ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384'

# Test with security level
openssl ciphers -v 'DEFAULT@SECLEVEL=2'

# List TLS 1.3 ciphers
openssl ciphers -v -s -tls1_3

# Test connection to a server
openssl s_client -connect example.com:443 -tls1_2 -cipher 'ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256'