What is the difference between http:// and https:// ?    

 

 

Today, we try to break down what HTTP and HTTPS mean in a layman's terms and which is better than the other. 

 

Basically, HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) are both different set of protocols that are used for transferring data over the internet. The only major difference between the two is that data transfer using HTTPS protocol is more secure than the other. 

 

 

HTTP is a protocol that is used to transfer data between a web server and a web browser. It is a plain text protocol, which means that the data that is sent between the web server and the browser is not encrypted. This makes it vulnerable to interception and eavesdropping by unauthorized parties. HTTP is default data transfer prototal of internet; It doesn't need any additional configuration or cost to use HTTP on your website.

 

 

HTTPS, on the other hand, is a secure version of HTTP that uses SSL/TLS encryption to encrypt data between the web server and the browser. This encryption provides an additional layer of security that makes it much harder for hackers to intercept and eavesdrop on the data being transmitted between the two parties. HTTPS is widely used for secure online transactions, such as online banking, e-commerce, and sensitive data transmission. We need to install and configure SSL certificates on our webserver to use this protocol. It might cost some money to do so.

 

HTTP was mostly used in the early websites whilst HTTPS is considered a standard in today's comprehensive usage of internet. The major differences between HTTP and HTTPS are:

 

 

Security:

HTTPS provides an additional layer of security by encrypting data transmitted between the web server and the browser.

 

Protocol:

HTTP is a plain text protocol, while HTTPS is a secure protocol that uses SSL/TLS encryption.

 

URL:

HTTPS URLs start with "https://" and have a padlock icon on the left which denotes that the connection is secure whilst HTTP URLs start with "http://" and doesn't have a padlock icon. Examples are:

 

(HTTPS) https://www.facebook.com

(HTTP) http://www.facebook.com

 

Cost:

For HTTPS, we need to purchase SSL certificate, install and configure it on our server to use it on our website. HTTP comes as default protocol which doesn't require any additional configuration or cost for the website owner. 

 

One needs to consider various SSL certificate providers as the price and service varies a lot among the providers. There are free SSL certificates as well as one that costs thousands annually. Here are few companies that provide free SSL certificates under various schemes:

 

1. Letsencrypt.org

2. Cloudflare.com

3. Sslforfree.com

4. Bluehost.com

 

Port:

HTTP typically uses port 80, while HTTPS uses port 443.