What is the Difference Between HTTP and HTTPS

Here at Gyama Tech are always encouraging people to make the move to HTTPS for a number of reasons such as performance benefits, additional security, and even SEO advantages. We are constantly throwing around the HTTP and HTTPS acronyms and sometimes it's important to understand the basics of how they work and some history behind them. So today we thought we would explore more in-depth the difference between HTTP and HTTPS, what they mean, and why it might be time for you to make the move to HTTPS.

What is HTTP?

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. When you enter http:// in your address bar in front of the domain, it tells the browser to connect over HTTP. HTTP uses TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), generally over port 80, to send and receive data packets over the web. To put it simply it is a protocol that's used by a client and server which allows you to communicate with other websites. The client sends a request message to an HTTP server (after the TCP handshake) that hosts a website, the server then replies with the response message. The response message contains completion status information, such as HTTP/1.1 200 OK.

What is HTTPS?

HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (also referred to as HTTP over TLS or HTTP over SSL). When you enter https:// in your address bar in front of the domain, it tells the browser to connect over HTTPS. Generally, sites running over HTTPS will have a redirect in place so even if you type in http:// it will redirect to deliver over a secured connection. HTTPS also uses TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) to send and receive data packets, but it does so over port 443, within a connection encrypted by Transport Layer Security (TLS).

Advantages of HTTP:

HTTP can be implemented with other protocols on the Internet, or on other networks

HTTP pages are stored on computer and internet caches, so it is quickly accessible

Platform independent which allows cross-platform porting

Does not need any Runtime support

Usable over Firewalls! Global applications are possible

Not Connection-Oriented; so no network overhead to create and maintain session state and information

Advantages of HTTPS

In most cases, sites running over HTTPS will have a redirect in place. Therefore, even if you type in HTTP:// it will redirect to an HTTPS over a secured connection

It allows users to perform secure e-commerce transactions, such as online banking.

SSL technology protects any users and builds trust

An independent authority verifies the identity of the certificate owner. So each SSL Certificate contains unique, authenticated information about the certificate owner.

Limitations of HTTP

There is no privacy as anyone can see content

Data integrity is a big issue as someone can alter the content. That's why HTTP protocol is an insecure method as no encryption methods are used.

Not clear who you are talking about. Anyone who intercepts the request can get the username and password.

Limitations of HTTPS

HTTPS protocol can't stop stealing confidential information from the pages cached on the browser

SSL data can be encrypted only during transmission on the network. So it can't clear the text in the browser memory

HTTPS can increase computational overhead as well as network overhead of the organization

Types of SSL/TLS certificate used with HTTPS

Now in this HTTPS and HTTP difference tutorial, we will cover the types of SSL/TLS certificates used with HTTPS:

Domain Validation:

Domain validation validates that the person who applies for a certificate is the owner of the domain name. This type of validation generally takes a few minutes up to a few hours.

Organization Validation:

The Certification Authority not only validates the domain's ownership but also the owner's identity. It means that an owner might be asked to provide a personal ID proof document to prove their identity.

Extended Validation:

Extended validation is the topmost level of validation. It includes validation of domain ownership, owner identity as well as registration proof of business.