How many of you have noticed http:// or https:// in the address bar of a browser while visiting a website? You may notice that http or https attribute before the website URL, but do you know the difference between them? In this context, we will discuss HTTP vs HTTPS.
What is HTTP?
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is a protocol for transferring data over a network. It is a prescribed order and syntax for presenting the information. The HTTP protocol is used to send most data over the Internet, including website content and API calls. HTTP messages are divided into two categories: requests and responses.
HTTP Request:
As a user interacts with web properties, their browser creates HTTP requests. When a user clicks on a hyperlink, for example, the browser sends a series of “HTTP GET” requests for the content on that page.
HTTP Response:
All of these HTTP requests are addressed to an origin server or a proxy caching server, which will respond with an HTTP response. Responses to HTTP requests are known as HTTP responses.
What is HTTPS?
“Secure” is represented by the letter S in HTTPS. That means HTTPS = Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol. HTTPS encrypts HTTP requests and replies with TLS (or SSL). However, HTTPS can be described as a secure version of the HTTP protocol.
Request/Response – HTTP vs HTTPS:
When a user clicks or visit the website, HTTP get a request like this:
GET /hello.txt HTTP/1.1
User-Agent: curl/7.62.0 libcurl/7.63.0 OpenSSL/1.1.0 zlib/1.2.21
Host: www.website-name.com
Accept-Language: en
And when a user clicks or visit the website, HTTPS gets a request like this:
t8Fw6T8UV81pQfyhDkhebbz7+oiwldr1j2gHBB3L3RFTRsQCpaSnSBZ78V
Again, HTTP response:
HTTP/1.1 200 OKDate: Wed, 30 Jan 2019 12:14:39 GMTServer: ApacheLast-Modified: Mon, 28 Jan 2019 11:17:01 GMTAccept-Ranges: bytesContent-Length: 12Vary: Accept-EncodingContent-Type: text/plain Hello World!
And HTTPS response:
t8Fw6T8UV81pQfyhDkhebbz7+fdrythfhryryghCpaSnSBZ78V
That means when someone is monitoring you, the website protocol is HTTPS, he/she can’t see anything. But if it is HTTP, a hacker can easily find your information like your password, bank information, and a few more.
The main difference between HTTP vs HTTPS:
The main difference between HTTP and HTTPS is the SSL certificate. The HTTPS protocol is an enhanced variant of the HTTP protocol that has a security feature. This extra layer of security is critical for websites that share personal information like credit card numbers.
Protocol:
HTTP vs HTTPS – HTTP means Hypertext Transfer Protocol whereas HTTPS stands for Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol
Security:
Since it does not have SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), the HTTP protocol is not secure. It ensures that when data is transferring from the client to the server, it may be hacked. On the other hand, The SSL certificate, which encrypts the files, is included in the HTTPS protocol. As outsiders are unable to decrypt the encrypted text, no data can be stolen.
Port Number:
When an Internet or other network message arrives at a database, it is routed to a specific process identified by a port number. The HTTP protocol uses port 80 to transmit data, while HTTPS uses port 443 to transmit data.
Layer:
HTTP operates on the application layer, while HTTPS works on the transport layer. As we all know, the transport layer’s function is to carry data from the client to the server, and data security is a top priority. HTTPS is a transport layer protocol that is wrapped in a security layer.
SSL Certificate:
We need to install the signed SSL certificate if we want our websites to use the HTTPS protocol. SSL certificates can be obtained for both free and for a fee. The service can be selected based on the needs of the company.
As HTTP does not contain any SSL certificates, data is not decrypted and sent in plain text.
SEO Advantage:
Websites that use HTTPS gain SEO benefits from Google. Google favors HTTPS-enabled sites over HTTP-enabled sites.
Online Transactions:
If we want to run an online company, we’ll need HTTPS. Customers will not buy from an online company if HTTPS is not used because they are afraid that their data will be stolen by outsiders.
Quick Look- HTTP vs HTTPS:
HTTP | HTTPS |
HTTP= Hypertext Transfer Protocol | HTTPS= Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol |
Port Number 80 | Port Number 443 |
Unsecure- Data send in plain text | Secure- Data send in encrypted text |
Application layer protocol | Transport layer protocol |
Does not use SSL | It use SSL |
Google will not prefer | Google will prefer |
Page loading speed fast | Page loading speed slow compare to https |
We’ve heard that HTTPS is superior to HTTP because it provides security. When our website does not have an e-commerce page that requires sensitive data, we will use the HTTP protocol instead. HTTPS offers SEO benefits in addition to security. As a result, we must devote more resources to improving our SEO.
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