Post-quantum migration is no longer only a theoretical future plan. NIST standardized ML-KEM as FIPS 203, and modern TLS ecosystems combine X25519 with ML-KEM in hybrid key agreement to strengthen key establishment today.
Yes, particularly for key agreement. Cloudflare deploys X25519MLKEM768 hybrid key agreement on TLS 1.3 and marks it as recommended. But post-quantum key agreement is not the same as post-quantum certificate signatures; visitor-to-edge, edge-to-origin and certificate authentication must be evaluated separately.
An attacker can record encrypted traffic today and attempt to break classical public-key cryptography later when capable quantum computers exist. Data that must remain confidential for years benefits from strengthening key agreement now.
ML-KEM is standardized for key establishment, while ML-DSA is for digital signatures. Hybrid key agreement combines classical X25519 and ML-KEM so the connection remains protected if at least one remains secure.
NIST FIPS 203 key encapsulation
Post-quantum digital signatures
X25519 + ML-KEM together
A web request has separate visitor-to-Cloudflare, Cloudflare-to-origin and certificate-authentication layers. Post-quantum key agreement at the edge does not automatically make the origin connection or certificate signature post-quantum.
OpenSSL 3.5 added ML-KEM support. Verify the OpenSSL version shipped by your operating system and whether the algorithms are available.
openssl version -aopenssl list -kem-algorithmsopenssl list -public-key-algorithms | grep -i ML-KEMcurl -I --tlsv1.3 https://example.comThe first step is not converting everything overnight. Inventory TLS termination points, prioritize data with long confidentiality requirements and measure client compatibility in a pilot.
PQC should be evaluated by which part of the connection uses which algorithm, not as a marketing label.
It is the post-quantum key encapsulation mechanism standardized by NIST in FIPS 203.
A hybrid key-agreement construction combining classical X25519 with ML-KEM-768.
ML-KEM support was added in OpenSSL 3.5.
Share CDN, reverse proxy, origin OS and TLS termination points; we can identify where hybrid ML-KEM can be introduced today.