What Is HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)?
Learn about secure HTTP, how to use it, and how to ensure browsers use it for your site.
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Overview Of Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)
Website security is extremely important, no matter the types of information businesses are saving or transmitting. Setting up encryption and authentication for your website can mean the difference between providing a secure site for users versus potentially leaking sensitive data.
Continue reading to examine what is HTTPS, how it differs from HTTP, and how you can set up this necessary security feature on your website.
What Is The Difference Between HTTP And HTTPS?
At their core, both HTTP and HTTPS serve the same purpose—to transfer data over the internet. Servers store web pages that are provided to the client's computer when a user accesses them. This communication between servers and clients creates a network—known as the World Wide Web (www).
HTTP fetches requested information from web servers, but the downside is that it has no layer of security. It is simply a delivery system, and it leaves all information vulnerable and open for anyone to access.
The main difference between HTTP and HTTPS is that HTTPS has the additional SSL/TLS layer to ensure all data being transferred is encrypted and secure. The security provided by HTTPS is essential for sites that send sensitive information, such as credit card information or billing addresses.
How To Switch Your Website To HTTPS
HTTPS has become the website standard for organizations looking to secure their users' data. For a safe and secure migration from HTTP over to HTTPS, follow the seven steps below:
- Back up your website: Do a full backup of your website before making any changes to it. If you are using a shared hosting platform, check what backup options they offer. Or if you use a platform such as cPanel hosting, there may be a built-in backup feature.
- Buy and install an SSL certificate: An SSL certificate authenticates the identity of a website and enables encrypted communication between the browser and web server. Entry-level or domain SSLs can be set up quickly and are best for small businesses on a budget. Organization SSLs may require a few days of verification, but once established, they put the company name and domain directly in the browser bar. Extended validation (EV) SSLs will do an in-depth check of the business and allow you to use a green browser bar to show you are a fully verified and secure website.
- Switch internal and external links to HTTPS: Make sure all links for your website are changed over from HTTP to HTTPS. If you have just a few pages, you can do this manually. But if you have a much larger site, you can investigate automated options. Make a list of any links on social media accounts, email advertisements, or for marketing automation to change over to the correct HTTPS link.
- Check code libraries: If you have a larger, more complex site, check the code libraries. Contact your website’s developer to make sure any software used on your site that links to HTTP pages is changed over to HTTPS.
- Set up a 301 redirect: Creating a redirect for your website is essentially like setting up mail forwarding for your new address. Users will instantly be sent to the correct HTTPS version of your site instead of clicking on a bad link that brings them nowhere. This will help you maintain your search engine ranking.
- Update CDN SSL: This step is only necessary if you are using a content delivery network (CDN) for your website. A CDN stores copies of each of your web pages on servers around the world and delivers requested pages using the server closest to the user. If your site uses a CDN, ask the provider to update the SSL to match your new HTTPS site.
- Update Google: Your Google account’s Analytics and Search Console will have to be updated to match your HTTPS site. For Google Analytics, simply change the default Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to HTTPS. For Search Console, add a new site with HTTPS.
Can HTTPS Protect Against DNS Spoofing?
Domain Name System (DNS) spoofing secretly redirects users to a site different from what they are requesting. By using HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS), you can force a browser to always show your website. Since your site has a secure SSL/TLS certificate, a hacker may try creating a fake version of your site, but users will immediately be alerted to the security breach. Setting up HSTS, coupled with HTTPS, is one of your best protections against DNS spoofing.
HTTPS FAQs
What is HTTPS and why is it used?
HTTPS is the security protocol used to transfer data over the internet. It encrypts data that is entered and sent between users and websites.
What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?
HTTP is the avenue through which information is sent over the internet. HTTPS has an additional layer of security because it encrypts the information being sent.
What are the advantages of HTTPS?
Sensitive data such as billing addresses, credit card information, and passwords can be protected via HTTPS encryption.
How can HTTPS prevent cyberattacks?
HTTPS works to protect and encrypt nearly all the information sent from a user to a website. The URL path, post bodies, and query string parameters are all encrypted when sent via an HTTPS connection.
Although HTTPS provides a strong layer of protection for the information being sent to and from a website, it is not meant to work as a firewall for the website as a whole. It protects the actual transfer of data using the SSL/TLS encryption, but you will want to add security precautions for the rest of the information on your site.
HTTPS vs. VPN: why you need both?
HTTPS and virtual private networks (VPNs) are both excellent security tools for websites, and when used together, they can provide an even higher level of security that you may not be able to achieve otherwise. HTTPS protects the data sent from a user to a website and vice versa. This security is necessary for all the sensitive data being transferred over websites today, but it only protects that direct line of communication.
A VPN, on the other hand, offers protection for your entire device and hides your identity and browsing activity. Using HTTPS along with a VPN service, you will have a double layer of security for all of your networks’ users.
How do I make my website HTTPS secure?
To make your website secure using HTTPS, purchase an SSL certificate, set up a 301 redirect, change all external and internal links to HTTPS, and implement HSTS.
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