Why HTTPS is more secure than HTTP

Here is a quick introduction on HTTPS and the benefits of HTTPS over HTTP.

HTTP – Hypertext Transfer Protocol
HTTPS – Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer

HTTPS is a communications protocol for secure communication over the Internet which makes an encrypted connection between the browser and the web server. HTTPS is often used to protect highly confidential data like on-line banking, on-line shopping etc.

There are two “keys” to encrypt the communication. a ‘public’ key and a ‘private’ key. Data encrypted with the public key can only be decrypted by the private key.

Basic work flow of HTTPS is as follows

1) User browser requests a website using the HTTPS://www.domain
2) Web server sends the public key of that domain with certificate
3) Browser checks the certificate and its expiry date.
4) Browser generates a random key using the public key found on the SSL certificate and sends it to the server
5) Server decrypts the random key using the server’s private key.
6) Server send the requested website page to the client browser encrypted with the random key.
7) Client browser decrypts the web page using the random key and displays the content to the user.

Benefits of HTTPS

1) Communication between the browser and the web server are encrypted.
2) Users can verify the authenticity of the website using the SSL certificate installed.
3) Protects user’s sensitive informations
4) Increases user’s trust and confidence
5) Increases company’s reputation over the Internet
6) Higher ranking in Google search results.