What is the Main Difference Between HTTP and HTTPS?

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As a web designer and developer, I always make sure to use secure HTTPS connections instead of standard HTTP to protect my clients.

The main difference between HTTP and HTTPS is that HTTPS uses SSL/TLS encryption to provide a secure connection, while HTTP sends data in plain text that can be read by anyone on the network.

HTTPS encrypts all communication between a website and browser to prevent sensitive data like login credentials, personal information, and credit card numbers from being stolen. The ‘S’ stands for ‘secure’ in HTTPS.

With HTTPS, the data transmitted is encrypted by the website and only decrypted by the intended recipient. This prevents man-in-the-middle attacks where data is intercepted and read by third parties.

Key Takeaways

HTTP sends data in plain text over the internet – insecure
HTTPS encrypts data and provides authentication + integrity checks
HTTPS uses SSL/TLS certificates to secure the connection
HTTPS prevents sniffing, tampering, and forging of request/response data
HTTPS protects user privacy and sensitive information like passwords
Switch sites dealing with user data to HTTPS to improve security

How Does HTTPS Work to Secure Connections?

HTTPS works by using an SSL/TLS certificate to encrypt the communication between a web server and browser. This creates an encoded connection that scrambles transmitted data to anyone without the certificate’s private key.

Here are the steps to establish an HTTPS connection:

Browser requests HTTPS page sending domain name
Server sends public key + SSL certificate to authenticate
Browser checks certificate is valid, issued by trusted CA
Browser creates symmetric session key, encrypts with server’s public key
Server decrypts symmetric key with private key to establish secure session
Encrypted data transmitted between browser + server using session key

This handshake ensures that the server has proved its identity and browser can trust it before transmitting sensitive data. Both parties encrypt the transmitted data to prevent sniffing or tampering.

HTTPS certificates also confirm the identity of websites and ensures the domain you are visiting hasn’t been spoofed. Users will see browser warnings if the certificate expires, doesn’t match the domain, or is self-signed instead of via a trusted certificate authority.

How is HTTPS Different than HTTP?

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol and was created in 1991 as a communication framework between [web servers] and clients like browsers.

HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure and is the encrypted transmission version upgraded from HTTP.

Both protocols handle requests and responses between servers and browsers to deliver web pages and assets, but have key differences:

HTTP	HTTPS
Sends data in plain readable text	Encrypts transmitted data using Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol
No protection from eavesdropping/data tampering	Secure against man-in-the-middle attacks
No authentication of requesting or receiving parties	Server authentication via SSL certificates
Not compliant with modern data regulations	Meets security compliance standards for data transmission
Used for non-sensitive public web pages	Used by pages transmitting private user data

The main takeaway difference is that HTTPS establishes a securely encrypted connection using TLS/SSL to authenticate the server and encrypt all communication with the browser.

Meanwhile, HTTP sends unsecured unencrypted data that exposes users to privacy invasion and cyberattacks.

Why Should Websites Use HTTPS Instead of HTTP?

There are several key reasons why all websites should use HTTPS instead of HTTP:

1. Privacy and Data Security

HTTP transmits data between servers and clients as plaintext which can be intercepted by hackers using packet sniffers. This allows stealing of sensitive data including usernames/passwords, credit card numbers and personal/financial information if submitted over HTTP.

HTTPS fully encrypts the entire communication, preventing sniffing to give users privacy and data security.

2. Secure Logins and Transactions

Plain HTTP is insecure for logging into sites or submitting payment transactions, allowing usernames, passwords and payment info to be stolen. HTTPS is essential for secure logins, fintech and ecommerce transactions to prevent fraud.

3. Authentication and Integrity

HTTPS verifies the identity of websites through its certificates and prevents traffic being intercepted/modified via encryption. This protects against man-in-the-middle attacks. HTTPS integrity checks also prevent data corruption.

4. Trust and Credibility

HTTPS signals security and trust to visitors through connection security assurances like the padlock icon. Sites without HTTPS seem less reputable to visitors and see more abandoned carts/application drop-offs.

5. Search Engine Rankings

Google uses HTTPS as a search ranking signal, providing better rankings and listings preference for sites over HTTP where possible. Migrating to HTTPS can provide SEO boosting benefits.

As you can see, HTTPS is crucial for any website handling user logins, sensitive data, financial transactions or wanting to maximize credibility and discoverability. All sites should adopt HTTPS by default for the security and privacy it provides both developers and users.

What About Performance Overheads With HTTPS?

It’s true that on the surface HTTPS encryption does add extra processing requirements compared to sending plain HTTP requests and responses. However, for modern sites the performance overheads are negligible for several reasons:

Hardware Acceleration – Most processors have hardware efficiency improvements for cryptographic processing. Modern servers also often have SSL acceleration chips. This reduces HTTPS slowdowns compared to software encryption alone.
HTTP/2 – Upgrading sites to take advantage of HTTP/2 multiplexing and request pipelining improves performance and can offset HTTPS slight latency increases, especially when using A+ rated ciphers.
TLS 1.3 – TLS 1.3 simplified handshake improvements can provide faster negotiation performance and session resumption minimizes re-encryption processing hits.
Caching – Caching resources for longer periods minimizes expensive resource requests and can improve overall site performance sufficiently to counteract any HTTPS encryption latency.
CDNs – Using content delivery networks to distribute assets over servers spread across global locations brings resources physically closer to visitors for faster load times.

When implemented well using up-to-date protocols, hardware and infrastructure – the real-world performance differences between HTTP vs HTTPS are often negligible. But the security and privacy benefits are immense, making migrating to encrypted HTTPS a must for websites both protecting visitors and aiming to rank well in search engines.

How Can I Switch My Site from HTTP to HTTPS?

Transitioning sites fully from HTTP to HTTPS has become best practice for security and seen by Google as a positive ranking signal. Here are the key steps:

Obtain an SSL Certificate

You first need to purchase an SSL certificate for your domain from a trusted certificate authority or use a free one like Let’s Encrypt. The SSL certificate allows encrypted browser/server communication.

Redirect All HTTP to HTTPS

Configure 301 permanent redirects so all HTTP requests are forwarded to their HTTPS equivalent URL. This prevents duplicate content issues.

Change Links to HTTPS

Update all hardcoded hyperlinks in your site content and navigation to use HTTPS URLs instead of HTTP.

Use Protocol Relative Links

To minimize broken links in future, use protocol agnostic links starting with // instead of specifying HTTP/HTTPS.

Force HTTPS Headers

Set the Strict-Transport-Security header to force browsers to only connect over HTTPS for return visits.

Update Canonical Tags

Change canonical meta tags on pages to promote the HTTPS versions as the preferred URL index target for search engines.

Following these best practices will ensure a smooth site transition from HTTP to HTTPS without traffic or ranking declines from a poorly executed switchover.

Frequently Asked Questions

In most cases, no. On the surface HTTPS encryption does add slight latency during negotiation and encryption phases. However modern sites using HTTP/2 and optimization techniques often see negligible real-world speed differences.

If you use free certificates from Let’s Encrypt then switching can be free. If buying commercial certificates then expect to pay anywhere from $50 – $100+ per year depending on validation levels.

Generally yes. HTTPS is supported by over 99% users and all modern browsers. Extremely outdated ones may have issues with newer TLS versions – but lack other modern web support anyway.

Primarily cost, complexity and performance. Paid certificates must be renewed, HTTPS needs extra infrastructure configuration like load balancers terminate connections. And encryption does have minor processing overhead.

Google is pushing for an encrypted web and HTTPS sites are given a slight ranking boost. HTTP sites may slowly drop down rankings as Google continues to favor encrypted sites for crawl prioritization and search visibility.

Switching fully from HTTP to HTTPS can take some effort migrating links, updating headers and installing certificates across domains and subdomains. But managed hosts and Let’s Encrypt make enabling HTTPS easier than ever.

Following security best practices like enabling HTTPS shows commitment to providing the best possible user experience. HTTPS implementation across the web protects the privacy and data of millions visiting websites daily relying on encrypted connections to keep their sensitive information secure.

So, while the costs and complexity can seem intimidating for smaller sites, the importance of privacy and leveraging browser-provided security means transitioning from insecure HTTP to encrypted HTTPS needs to be a top priority for website owners.

If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out for more information on securing your website with HTTPS!

Neil Beckett

Neil is an accomplished web, designer and developer with over 15 years of experience in creating and optimizing websites for small businesses and online entrepreneurs. Read full bio

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