What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?
Overview of HTTP
HTTP, short for HyperText Transfer Protocol, is an application-layer protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. It is used to enable communication between client browsers and web servers, and serves as the foundation of network data communication.
Overview of HTTPS
HTTPS, short for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, is the secure version of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It communicates over HTTP and uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL/TLS) to implement identity authentication and data transmission encryption, ensuring secure network communication.
The relationship between HTTPS and HTTP can be summarized with a formula: HTTPS = HTTP + SSL
Differences between HTTPS and HTTP
| HTTP | HTTPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol Name | Hypertext Transfer Protocol | Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure |
| URL Format | http:// | https:// |
| Port | Port 80 | Port 443 |
| Security | Insecure | Secure |
| OSI Presentation Layer | Application layer | Transport layer |
| Encryption | Unencrypted | Encrypted |
| Data Transmission | Plaintext transmission | Ciphertext transmission |
| Certificate Required | No | SSL certificate required |
| SEO Friendliness | Not SEO-friendly | Beneficial for search engine indexing, display and ranking |