Ever wondered what happens when you type google.com on a browser and press enter?

The answer lies in the HTTP protocol.

When we enter a website URL, the browser creates an HTTP Request on our behalf and sends it to the server on which the website is hosted. The HTTP response from the server is read by the browser and rendered for us beautifully as web pages on our screen.

I hope this gives you an understanding of how important the HTTP protocol is. So now we know the importance of HTTP .lets lets see how HTTPS is different from HTTP

What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?

Major differences between HTTP and HTTPS are.

1.HTTP is unsecured while HTTPS is secured.

2.HTTP sends data over port 80 while HTTPS uses port 443.

3.HTTP operates at the application layer, while HTTPS operates at the transport layer.

4.HTTP requires No SSL certificates, whereas HTTPS requires you to have an SSL certificate and which is needs to be signed by a CA.

5.There is no encryption in HTTP, with HTTPS the data is encrypted before sending.

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.

so now we know that HTTPS is just a secure HTTP request so why do we use HTTP request so let's talk about some advantages of using HTTP

Advantages of HTTP

• HTTP can be implemented with other protocol on the Internet or 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

It's not like HTTPS is perfect and can solve every problem HTTPS comes with its own set of limitation's for example

• 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

How to convert HTTP to HTTPS.?

we can convert HTTP to HTTPS in a simple 4-step process

1. Buy an SSL Certificate

2. Install SSL Certificate on your web hosting account

3. Double-check internal linking is switched to HTTPS

4. Set up 301 redirects so search engines are notified

as we have seen above we need an SSL certificate to convert HTTP to HTTPS. now the question arises what is an SSL certificate? how does it work and where can we buy one.? let's answer these question one by one

What is an SSL Certificate?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer.

SSL Certificates are small data files that digitally bind a cryptographic key to an organization’s details.

When installed on a web server, it activates the padlock and the HTTPS protocol and allows secure connections from a web server to a browser.

Typically, SSL is used to secure credit card transactions, data transfer, and logins, and more recently is becoming the norm when securing browsing social media sites.

How Does an SSL Certificate Work?

SSL Certificates use something called public-key cryptography.

This particular kind of cryptography harnesses the power of two keys which are long strings of randomly generated numbers. One is called a private key and one is called a public key.

A public key is known to your server and available in the public domain. It can be used to encrypt any message but the only way this message can be decrypted is to unlock it with the private key.

If a hacker intercepts the message before the authorized user unlocks it, all they will get is a cryptographic code that they cannot break, even with the power of a computer.

Where Do I Buy an SSL Certificate from?

SSL Certificates need to be issued from a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). Browsers, operating systems, and mobile devices maintain lists of trusted CA root certificates.

Companies like GlobalSign are known as trusted Certificate Authorities. This is because the browser and operating system vendors such as Microsoft, Mozilla, Opera, Blackberry, Java, etc., trust that GlobalSign is a legitimate Certificate Authority and that it can be relied on to issue trustworthy SSL Certificates.