When you visit a website and type in any information there, be it login credentials or a long blog post and click on submit button, ever wondered what really happens behind your browser/behind the site? What happens to your content? where does it go? And how does it go?
OK, let me explain, our world wide web follows a protocol to transfer your content from the website in your web browser to a database / databank which resides somewhere else, else can a different country or even a different continent.
So, while your data is being transferred, it ought to be secure right, especially if the information is delicate, like bank account information. Yeah, that’s exactly what HTTPS is all about and it stands for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure”.
What https does is, it transfers data in a secure channel by encrypting data at the sender’s end and its respective decrypt code is only available at the server.
HTTPS is extremely important for bank portals, e-commerce websites. Site that has downloadable software content or files like PDF. Corporate websites with internal sites. And even in game sites and applications.
How is HTTPS different from HTTP?
HTTPS is not a different protocol from HTTP. It just simply uses data encryption to secure the same. Encryption such as TLS/SSL encryption over the HTTP protocol. HTTPS occurs based upon the transmission of TLS/SSL certificates, which verify that a particular provider is who they say they are.
Where do I get SSL certificate? Should I buy SSL certificate?
The website host provider usually do provide SSL certificates, which is probably shared with other websites too. If you want something exclusive, you have the option to purchase the same from different popular providers of the same.
If you are planning to implement Payment Gateway (PG) in your site and if it is for middle-east region. Before purchasing the SSL, you will have to confirm from your PG provider/bank on what are the SSL certificates they support, based on the same, you do your own research on all the SSL certificate suggested by the PG provider, go through their product/service/support reviews and only after that you take a call on which SSL certificate to purchase or to go with.