Securing your online presence is non-negotiable. You’ve probably noticed the ‘HTTPS‘ prefix on URLs and wondered what it’s all about. Well, it’s more than just a random assortment of letters — it’s a security protocol that safeguards your data from cyber thieves, especially when you’re sharing sensitive information.
Want to know what is HTTPS? How it works, and how to implement it on your website? Then you’re in the right place.
Table of Contents
- What is HTTPS?
- What Is HTTPS Used For?
- Why is HTTPS Important?
- How Does HTTPS Work?
- How to Enable HTTPS on Your Website?
What is HTTPS?
HTTPS is a protocol for secure communication over a computer network on the internet. It ensures that data sent between web browsers and web servers remains encrypted.
When you see the padlock icon in your web browser’s address bar or the site loads without any security warnings, you access the site’s server over a HTTPS connection, benefiting from an extra layer of security for your online activities.
What Does HTTPS Stand For?
HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure and is an extension of the HTTP protocol.
Now let’s see what each letter in HTTP represents:
- HT stands for “Hypertext” and refers to the structured text containing links, allowing users to navigate between web pages.
- T stands for “Transfer” and indicates moving or transmitting data between your web browser and the web server hosting the website.
- P stands for “Protocol.” A protocol is a set of rules and standards that define how data is exchanged and transmitted over a network. In this case, it governs the communication between your browser and the web server.
When you use a site with HTTPS, your browser forms a secure, encrypted connection with the website. This connection ensures that no third party can view, modify, or hijack your data while in transit.
What Does the S in HTTPS Stand For?
The ‘S‘ means ‘Secure‘ – indicating the security enhancements this protocol provides over HTTP. ‘Secure’ implies your information is encrypted before it’s transferred.
Because of this encryption, even if someone manages to intercept the data, they wouldn’t be able to understand it. It’s similar to passing secret notes in a language only you and the recipient can understand.
The moment it leaves your device, it’s scrambled into an indecipherable mix of characters.
Upon reaching its destination, it’s decrypted back into understandable information. This secure system protects sensitive data, making HTTPS a key player in internet safety.
What Is the Difference Between HTTP and HTTPS?
HTTP and HTTPS are protocols used for transmitting data over the web. The crucial difference lies in the ‘S,’ which stands for secure. When comparing HTTP vs HTTPS encryption, HTTP transfers data in plain text, making it susceptible to eavesdropping or theft.
On the other hand, HTTPS encrypts the data before sending it, making it unreadable to anyone except the intended recipient. This encryption adds a security layer that protects sensitive information like credit card numbers or personal details.
What is the Difference Between WWW and HTTPS?
WWW stands for “World Wide Web,” a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. At its core, the World Wide Web consists of millions of web pages hosted on servers worldwide.
These web pages are written in markup languages such as HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and can contain various forms of multimedia content, including text, images, videos, and interactive elements.
Web pages are linked together through hyperlinks, allowing users to navigate between them with ease.
The HTTPS protocol is a crucial component of the World Wide Web as it provides a secure way for users to communicate with websites.
What Is HTTPS Used For?
Modern browsers use HTTPS for the following reasons:
- Secure Data Transmission: HTTPS encrypts the data in transit between a web browser and a website, ensuring that sensitive information such as login credentials, financial transactions, and personal details don’t fall into the wrong hands.
- Website Authentication: HTTPS verifies the authenticity of websites through digital certificates issued by trusted Certificate Authorities (CAs). This authentication helps users trust that they are interacting with a legitimate website.
- Compliance Requirements: Many regulatory standards and industry best practices mandate HTTPS to protect sensitive data. For example, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requires HTTPS encryption for online payment transactions to ensure compliance with security standards.
- Prevention of Data Tampering: HTTPS employs cryptographic protocols like TLS (Transport Layer Security) to prevent data tampering during transit. The data sent from the server to the client remains intact and unaltered, providing integrity and reliability to the communication process.
Why is HTTPS Important?
From an internet infrastructure perspective, HTTPS ensures the overall security and integrity of online communications. Search engines prioritize HTTPS websites, which signal a commitment to security and trustworthiness.
Since the HTTP protocol is obsolete, websites that need to transition to HTTPS are way behind the competition in SEO rankings and may not even feature in search engine results pages.
Additionally, browsers like Google Chrome often flag non-HTTPS websites as insecure, deterring users from visiting them and impacting user experience. Most browsers mark an HTTP request as a potential security threat and issue an SSL warning to visitors, urging them to leave the website.
How Does HTTPS Work?
Now, let’s move on to understanding how HTTPS works. You might be wondering what encryption it uses and how this encryption process operates. We’ll also highlight the specific port number HTTPS utilizes for its operations.
What Encryption Does HTTPS Use?
HTTPS relies on two encryption protocols: Transport Layer Security (TLS) and its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). TLS, being more modern and secure, is widely adopted today.
These protocols ensure that data transmitted between a web server and a browser remains encrypted, safeguarding sensitive information from interception or tampering by unauthorized parties.
HTTPS uses symmetric encryption with keys typically ranging from 128 to 256 bits in length. This encryption works via algorithms like Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). The 256-bit AES encryption, for instance, provides a higher level of security than 128-bit due to its larger key size, making it more resistant to brute-force attacks.
In addition to symmetric encryption, HTTPS employs asymmetric encryption for key exchange during the initial connection setup, using algorithms like RSA or Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). Asymmetric encryption involves a pair of keys: a public key and a private key. The public key encrypts data, while the private key decrypts it. This process ensures secure transmission of the symmetric encryption key between the client and the server.
How Does HTTPS Encryption Work?
Let’s explore how HTTPS encryption works, ensuring your data’s safe journey across the internet.
When you connect to a HTTPS website, your browser and the website’s server engage in a process called the SSL/TLS handshake. This establishes a secure connection, and it’s only after this handshake that data transfer begins.
The handshake begins with your browser requesting the server’s SSL certificate. If it’s valid, your browser creates, encrypts, and sends back a symmetric key using the server’s public key.
The server then decrypts it with its private key, and both parties use this symmetric key to encrypt and decrypt the data they send and receive. This encryption process keeps your data secure from prying eyes.
What Is the Port Number for HTTPS?
HTTPS uses port 443, while port 80 is the default port for HTTP.
Network administrators typically configure firewalls and routers to allow traffic on port 443 to ensure that it is open and accessible. Additionally, server administrators must ensure that their web server software, such as Apache or Nginx, is configured to listen for incoming HTTPS connections on port 443. Regular monitoring and security measures help maintain the integrity and security of HTTPS connections over port 443.
Port numbers are essential components of the TCP/IP networking protocol, facilitating communication between devices on a network. Think of ports as virtual doors on a computer or server, each designated for a specific type of communication or service.
How to Enable HTTPS on Your Website
You need a valid SSL certificate to enable HTTPS on your website. Now, if you have a personal site, a blog, or an online portfolio, securing them is straightforward. All you need is a Domain Validation certificate, and the good news is most hosting providers offer it for free.
You can activate HTTPS straight from your hosting panel dashboard in just a few clicks. If you struggle to do it, a quick ticket to the support team will solve the issue.
More complex websites, like e-commerce platforms or officially registered companies, may require a commercial certificate that verifies legal identity and provides extra features like a site seal to boost customer trust and an SSL warranty against potential data breaches.
At SSL Dragon, we offer a wide selection of commercial certificates for any project and budget. On top of that, we’ve written over 80 SSL installation tutorials for most modern servers, email clients, and networks to help you smoothly transition from HTTP to HTTPS.
Conclusion
Now that you know the answer to the “What is HTTPS?” question, you’re one step ahead in your web security game and knowledge. Understanding the standard protocol for secure communication helps you to stay off potentially unsafe websites and keeps your sensitive data safe.
If you own a website, HTTPS encryption is a necessity regardless of its type, size, or niche. You should get an SSL certificate and enable HTTPS before your website goes from development to live. This way, your visitors will enjoy an uninterrupted browsing experience.
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