What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS protocols?

Published Time: 28/12/2023

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Reading time : 50 min read

The main difference between http and https is that http transmits data in plain text, while https transmits data encrypted.

What is http?

HTTP, the full English name is Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. According to the OSI reference model, it belongs to the seventh layer application layer protocol. The role of HTTP is to provide a set of rules and standards for controlling how any information is transmitted on the World Wide Web, providing standard rules for web browsers and servers to communicate.

Http usage scenarios

When you enter a URL in the browser and press Enter, http:// will be automatically added in front of the URL by default. It means that the browser and the web server connect and transmit data through the http protocol. When the browser gets the http response, it will render it and turn it into a web page that we can see.

How http works?

http is a protocol based on the C/S structure. Before the browser sends a request to the server, it first needs to establish a TCP connection, and then it can send an HTTP request message and receive an HTTP response message.

The http request response process can be roughly divided into four steps:

(1) The client requests the server to establish a connection;

(2) After the connection is established, the client sends an http request to the server;

(3) After the server receives the http request, it responds accordingly according to the request;

(4) After completing the request, the client disconnects from the server.

What is https?

Https, the English full name is Hyper Text Transfer Protocol over SecureSocket Layer. It is based on http and adds TLS/SSL protocol to ensure the security of transmission through encrypted transmission and authentication. https was originally based on SSL, and later the SSL protocol was upgraded and named TLS protocol.

Now that we have http, why do we need https?

HTTP can complete website browsing services, but it also has obvious security flaws, mainly transmitting data in plain text and lacking information integrity verification. The popular understanding is that the data transmitted by both parties can be stolen by a third party who knows what content you are transmitting and can even modify the data without the two parties being aware of it. Especially when logging into a website and paying online, using http is even more fatal.

The risks of http are summarized as:

1. Risk of eavesdropping. Third parties can obtain communication content

2. Risk of tampering. Third parties can modify communication content

3. Taking risks. Third parties can participate in communications by impersonating others

The role of https

Https is designed to solve the risks of http.

1. Data encryption. Communication data is encrypted and cannot be eavesdropped

2. Integrity verification. Encrypted communication data is checked for message integrity to prevent tampering.

3. Identity verification. The certificate used in the TLS handshake process is signed by an authoritative CA for identity verification to prevent identity forgery.

The difference between http and https

Security is different.

Http does not have a security mechanism for data encryption and data integrity verification, while https uses digital certificates to ensure communication between the two parties.

The listening ports are different.

Http listens to port 80, while https listens to port 443.

The transmission content is different.

http is transmitted in plain text format while https is transmitted in cipher text format.

The protocol header is different.

Http URLs begin with "http://", while https URLs begin with "https://"

Why you should use HTTPS instead of HTTP?

When users visit a website loaded over HTTP, they see a "Not Secure" message with the warning continuing. As you can imagine, these warnings can have a negative impact on your reputation and relationships with customers. After all, why should they trust you when you make no visible effort to keep their data safe? They shouldn't, that's a given. That’s why you need to step up and take some steps to make your website more secure.

Before the internet, you had to meet someone in person to exchange data securely. Otherwise, you run the risk of your message being intercepted because someone could make unauthorized changes to its content and you'd never know the difference.

In an age of near-instant communication, these time-consuming and expensive rendezvous points are no longer needed. Public key encryption is at the core of what makes HTTPS possible, allowing people around the world to communicate securely over long distances.

Enabling HTTPS on your website is smart for a few key reasons:

Addresses security issues plaguing HTTP requests and responses
Need to verify your website’s digital identity
Get rid of the ugly "Not sure" and "Not secure site" warnings that keep customers away

Conclusion

HTTP and HTTPS are both internet connection protocols - meaning they are sets of rules that govern how you transfer data remotely between parties. (For example, between your website and the customers who connect to it.)

The difference between the two comes down to data security: one uses verified identities and public key encryption to protect data in transit (HTTPS), while the other does not (HTTP). This means that when data is transmitted over HTTP, it is vulnerable to interception attacks (i.e. man-in-the-middle attacks). HTTPS is basically HTTP with some "extra" stuff.

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What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS protocols?

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