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HTTPS is HTTP with encryption. The difference between the two protocols is that HTTPS uses TLS (SSL) to encrypt normal HTTP requests and responses. This is done so that the subsequent data transfer (i.e. financial transaction etc.) is secure. And that’s why https was introduced so that a secure session is a setup first between Server and Browser.

There are many differences between http:// and https:// as there is use of cryptographic protocols. In fact, cryptographic protocols such as SSL and/or TLS turn http into https i.e. https = http + cryptographic protocols. Also, to achieve this security in https, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is used because several Web Browsers can use public keys. In contrast, the private key can be used by the Web Server of that particular website.

The distribution of these public keys is done via Certificates which are maintained by the browser. You can check these certificates in your browser settings.

What Is HTTP://

HyperText Transfer Protocol (http://) is a protocol that transfers hypertext over the Web. Due to its simplicity, http has been the most widely used protocol for data transfer over the Web, but the data i.e. hypertext, exchanged using http isn’t as secure as we would like it to be. Hyper-text exchanged using http goes as plain text, i.e. anyone between the browser and server can read it relatively quickly if one intercepts this data exchange.

Most information sent over the Internet, including website content and API calls, uses the HTTP protocol. HTTP requests and responses are sent across the Internet in plaintext. The problem is that anyone monitoring the connection can read these plaintexts. This is especially an issue when users submit sensitive data via a website or a web application.

Essentially, a malicious actor can just read the text in the request or response, know exactly what information someone is asking for, sending, or receiving, and even manipulate the communication. This could be a password, a credit card number, or any other data typed into a form.

Web Server and Web Browser need to exchange encryption keys using Certificates before actual data can be transferred. Setting up of a secure session is done before the actual hypertext exchange between server and browser.

What Is HTTPS://

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (also referred to as HTTP over TLS or HTTP over SSL), uses TLS (or SSL) to encrypt HTTP requests and responses, so instead of the plaintext, an attacker would see a series of seemingly random characters. TLS uses a public key encryption technology: there are two keys, a public key and a private key.

The server’s SSL certificate shares the public key with client devices. The certificates are cryptographically signed by a Certificate Authority (CA), and each browser has a list of CAs it implicitly trusts. Any certificate signed by a CA in the trusted list is given a green padlock lock in the browser’s address bar because it is proven to be “trusted” and belongs to that domain. Companies like Let’s Encrypt have now made the process of issuing SSL/TLS certificates free.

Each machine needs a verified identity when a client opens a connection with a server. So, the two devices use the public and private keys to agree on new ones, called session keys, to encrypt further communications between them. All HTTP requests and responses are then encrypted with these session keys, so anyone who intercepts communications can only see a random string of characters, not the plaintext.

In addition to encrypting communication, HTTPS authenticates the two communicating parties. Authentication means verifying that a person or machine is who they claim to be. There is no identity verification in HTTP—it is based on the principle of trust. But on the modern Internet, authentication is essential.

Advantages Over HTTPS://

Just like an ID card confirms a person’s identity, a private key confirms the server's identity. When a client opens a channel with an origin server (e.g. when a user navigates to a website), possessing the private key that matches the public key in a website’s SSL certificate proves that the server is the legitimate host of the website. This prevents or helps block many possible attacks without authentication, such as Man-in-the-middle attacks, DNS hijacking, and domain spoofing.

HTTPS comes with many advantages, both performance and, most important, security-wise. All browsers strongly encourage users to trust only websites implementing HTTPS because this is the single measure that can help them mitigate various threats and attacks.

Differences Between HTTP:// and HTTPS://

1. http:// does not improve search ranking, while https:// improves search ranking.

2. http:// stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol, and https:// stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure.

3. In HTTP, URL begins with “http://” whereas for HTTPS URL starts with “https://”

4. http:// does not use data hashtags to secure data, while https:// will have the data before sending it and return it to its original state on the receiver side.

5. http:// uses port number 80 for communication and https:// uses 443

6. http:// is considered to be insecure and https:// is secure

7. A Syntactic difference between http and https is that http uses default port 80 while https uses default port 443. 

8. The SEO advantages are provided to those websites that use HTTPS as GOOGLE gives the preferences to those websites that use HTTPS rather than the websites that use HTTP.

9. HTTP doesn't require domain validation, whereas HTTPS requires at least domain verification and specific certificates even require legal document validation.

10. http:// Works at the Application Layer, and https:// works at Transport Layer

11. In http:// , Encryption is absent and Encryption is present in https:// as discussed above

12. http:// does not require any certificates and https:// needs SSL Certificates

13. http:// speed is faster than https:// and https:// speed is slower than http://

HTTPS is better than HTTP because it provides security. Sometimes our website does not contain an e-commerce page that requires sensitive data; in that case, we can switch to the HTTP protocol. Despite the security, HTTPS also provides SEO.

HTTP with encryption is the HTTPS. The main difference between these two terms is that HTTPS uses TLS (SSL) encryption for even regular HTTP requests and responses, so HTTPS is more secure than HTTP. To know more about the difference between http:// and https://, do check the table below.