FIPS 140-3 is the U.S. government standard for cryptographic modules. It sets strict requirements for design, implementation, and validation of encryption functions. Any cloud or PaaS offering that processes regulated data must comply — not as a checkbox, but as a constant discipline.
A PaaS that claims FIPS 140-3 compliance must ensure its cryptographic libraries, hardware modules, and software configurations follow the standard and pass NIST certification. Key algorithms must run in validated modules. All random number generation must be deterministic and approved. TLS configurations must disable non-compliant ciphers. Every part of the stack, from service endpoints to persistent storage, must enforce the same compliance profile.
Building a FIPS 140-3 PaaS requires more than installing compliant libs. You need infrastructure that can be audited, container images that are traceable to their source, controlled CI/CD pipelines, and runtime integrity checks. You must track every dependency and verify that upgrades do not break compliance. You must avoid mixing compliant and non-compliant modules in the same environment.