Difference Between HTTP and HTTPS

What is HTTP?

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The HTTP protocol allows different communication systems to communicate with one another. The web server sends the requested data to the user in the form of web pages when the user makes an HTTP request on the browser. In a nutshell, the HTTP protocol allows data to be transferred from the server to the client.

HTTP is an application layer protocol that sits on top of the TCP protocol. It has provided web browsers and servers with some standard rules that they can use to communicate with one another.

HTTP is a stateless protocol because each transaction is executed independently without knowledge of previous transactions, which means that once the transaction between the web browser and the server has been completed, the connection is lost.

What is HTTPS?

HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. Data security is not provided by the HTTP protocol, whereas data security is provided by HTTP. As a result, HTTPS can be considered a secure version of the HTTP protocol. This protocol enables data to be sent in an encrypted format. The use of the HTTPS protocol is primarily required when entering bank account information. When we need to enter login credentials, we usually use the HTTPS protocol.

Both the protocols, HTTP and HTTPS, are marked differently in modern browsers like Chrome. HTTPS employs the Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption protocol, also known as the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) (SSL). This protocol employs an asymmetric public key infrastructure mechanism and employs two distinct keys, which are listed below:

• Private key: This key is stored on the web server, which is controlled by the website’s owner.
• Public Key: This is a public key, which means that anyone can use it. It encrypts the data before sending it to the recipient.

Difference between HTTP and HTTPS:

The SSL certificate is the primary distinction between HTTP and HTTPS. The HTTPS protocol is an enhanced version of the HTTP protocol that includes a security feature.

This extra layer of security is critical for websites that transmit sensitive information like credit card numbers.

Because of the SSL protocol, the HTTPS protocol is secure. The SSL protocol encrypts data sent from the client to the server. Due to the encryption, if someone tries to steal the information being communicated between the client and the server, he or she will be unable to understand it. The main distinction between HTTP and HTTPS is that HTTP does not include SSL, whereas HTTPS does, which ensures secure communication between the client and the server.

Which protocol is better?

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 can use the HTTP protocol instead. HTTPS provides SEO benefits in addition to security. As a result, we must devote more resources to improving our SEO.

Difference in performance:

HTTP is faster than HTTPS because HTTPS includes the SSL protocol, whereas HTTPS does not. The addition of SSL in HTTPS causes the page to load more slowly.

Differences between HTTP and HTTPS:

1. Protocol:

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) are two different protocols.

2. Security:

The HTTP protocol is not secure because it lacks SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), which means that data can be stolen during transmission from the client to the server. The HTTPS protocol, on the other hand, includes an SSL certificate that encrypts the data, ensuring that no data can be stolen because outsiders are unable to decipher the encrypted text.

3. Port Numbers:

The HTTP protocol uses port 80 to transmit data, whereas HTTPS uses port 443 to transmit data.
When RFC 1340 was published, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) assigned port 80 to HTTP. When the new RFC was published in 1994, the HTTPS protocol was given the port number 443.

4. Layers:

The HTTP protocol is used at the application layer, while HTTPS is used at the transport layer. As we all know, the transport layer’s job is to move data from the client to the server, and data security is a top priority. HTTPS is a transport layer protocol that is encased in a security layer.

5. SSL Security:

We need to install the signed SSL certificate if we want our websites to use the HTTPS protocol. SSL certificates can be obtained for free, or also by paying a fee.
Because HTTP does not contain any SSL certificates, the data is not decrypted and sent in plain text.

6. SEO Advantages:

SEO benefits are provided to HTTPS-enabled websites, as GOOGLE prefers HTTPS-enabled websites over HTTP-enabled websites.

7. Online Transactions:

If we want to run an online business, we’ll need HTTPS. Customers will not purchase from an online business if HTTPS is not used because they are afraid that their data will be stolen by outsiders.

Comparison of HTTP vs HTTPS:

Summary:

In this article, we explored the concepts of HTTP and HTTPs in detail. We looked at both the major and minor differences between HTTP and HTTPS. We also looked at the features of both these protocols, and the difference in performance between them. Lastly, we looked at a tabular comparison between HTTP and HTTPS.