Most of you would have probably heard about HTTP and HTTPS encryption. Several tech giants such as Mozilla and Google have started to root for websites using HTTPS over websites with HTTP encryption. However, if you are new to the world of encryption, you would probably wonder why HTTP is not secure.
In simple words, HTTP and HTTPS can be described as two distinct but related internet protocols. That said, several people still do not know the difference between these two types of encryption. You will probably have a few doubts about securing your site with HTTPS, and why not use HTTP, don’t worry; we are here to help you.
If you want to know what makes HTTPS sites more secure than HTTP, you must understand the difference between these two. The major difference between these two internet protocols is that HTTPS uses SSL or TLS certificates to encrypt normal HTTP responses and requests.
Due to this, HTTPS is a lot more secure when compared to HTTP. In other words, websites using HTTPS will be more secure and safe when compared to websites with HTTP encryption.
- A Beginner’s Guide To HTTP Encryption
HTTP or Hypertext Transfer Protocol can be defined as a prescribed syntax and order for presenting information used for data transfer across a network. Most of the information that includes API calls and website content sent over the web will be using the HTTP protocol.
It is crucial to remember that there are two major types of HTTP messages: responses and requests. HTTP requests will be generated by the user’s browser when interacting with web properties.
For instance, when someone clicks on the hyperlink, a series of requests (HTTP GET) will be sent by the browser for the content, which will appear on the web page. The HTTP requests will either go to a proxy caching server or the origin server. As a result, the server will end up generating an HTTP response.
HTTP responses and requests will be sent across the web in plaintext format. However, the issue is that people monitoring the connection will read them in plaintext. When users submit sensitive information via a web application or website, this will be an issue.
The sensitive information shared by the user can be a credit card number, password, or more. A cybercriminal or hacker may easily read the data because it is in the form of simple plain text. To avoid such issues and ensure that customer data is safe and secure, you must consider switching your website to HTTPS.
- Everything You Should Know About HTTPS
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure or HTTPS makes use of SSL or TLS certificates for encrypting HTTP responses and requests. This means that the transferred data will be a random series of characters instead of plain text. As a result, hackers and cybercriminals will find it hard to crack or access the data.
The technology of public-key encryption is being used in TLS. This means that two separate keys will be called a private key and a public key. The public key will be shared with the client devices through the server’s SSL certificate. A CA or Certificate Authority usually signs SSL certificates. Each internet browser does have a list of CAs that they trust. SSL for multiple domains or a single domain that trusted CAs sign will receive a secure padlock in the web browser’s address bar. The padlock indicates that the website is genuine and trusted.
- Why Websites With HTTPS Are More Secure
Several business owners and analysts often ask why they should switch to HTTPS since HTTP has worked well for them over the years. Some people might also be wondering if switching to HTTPS is worth the effort and time.
One of the primary reasons you should consider switching to HTTPS is to ensure additional security for your website. As mentioned earlier, the SSL/TLS certificate that comes with HTTPS will safeguard your data when it is in transit between your client and website.
When data travels across the web, it will bounce between multiple servers before reaching its destination. This, in turn, presents several opportunities for hackers and cybercriminals to access or compromise the data.
If your website uses a valid SSL or TLS certificate, which will validate your identity, it will give your customers assurance regarding the authenticity of your website. This will, in turn, build trust, and customers will be happy to revisit your website. Choosing the perfect SSL certificate for your website is important. If your website consists of multiple domains and subdomains that must be secured, it is sensible to invest in a multi-domain SSL certificate to help you protect up to 250 FQDNs (Fully Qualified Domain Names).
- Higher Google Rankings
The search engine giant Google has been using several factors to rank websites. All business websites need to acquire a higher rank on the search engine results page of Google. Google has preferred websites with HTTPS over sites with HTTP.
This means that websites with SSL certificates and HTTPS are more likely to secure a better rank on Google. In addition to that, switching your website from HTTP to HTTPS will protect you from PCI/DSS penalties.
Now, you would have a clear idea regarding the difference between HTTPS and HTTP. You will notice that websites without HTTPS are not getting ranked in the top results of Google. This means that you can easily point out safe websites and unsafe ones.
So, if you want to make your website more secure and get better search engine rankings, you should opt for HTTPS instead of HTTP.
