What Is HTTPS & How HTTPS Works?

What Is HTTPS

HTTPS stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure. It is a secure extension of HTTP.  It is used for secure communication over a computer network and is widely used on the Internet. HTTPS protocol URL starts with https:// and uses the 443 port number for communicating the data.

It is a protocol for securing the communication between two systems e.g. the browser and the web server. websites are getting secured using HTTPS. HTTPS uses SSL/TSL technology to secure communication between the two systems. HTTPS transfers data in the encrypted format, i.e., ciphertext.

Advantages

• Secure Communication.
• It provides high security to users.
• Data and information are protected
• It helps users by performing e-commerce transactions, such as online banking transactions.
• SSL technology in HTTPS protects the data from third-party or hackers. And this technology builds trust for the users who are using it.

Disadvantages

• Users need to update all their internal links.
• The speed of accessing the website is slow because there are various complexities in communication.
• HTTPS is where users need to purchase an SSL certificate.

How HTTPS works?

HTTPS protocol is for a secure connection. To understand how this connection is established and how HTTPS works. Here’s how the entire process works:

• The user’s browser asks for an SSL certificate.
• The site sends the certificate to HTTPS.
• The browser verifies the authenticity of the certificate with a certification authority.
• The browser and site agree on a symmetric key using asymmetric encryption.
• The browser and the site transmit encrypted information.