What Is The Difference between HTTP and HTTPS?

What is The Difference between HTTP and HTTPS – Every time you open a browser, it’s not uncommon if you find the word HTTP or HTTPS in the address bar of your browser. The word is an important protocol in the distribution of data on the website you are visiting. If you don’t know where the protocol is. You can click on your URL field, then the word will appear in your browser’s URL field.

So do they both have the same meaning and function? Actually, what makes the difference is the letter “S” which comes from the word secure. Is the word “Secure” the difference between HTTP and HTTPS? To find out the difference between the two in more depth here is some information that you can refer to.

What are HTTP and HTTPS?

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HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol which is a network protocol whose job is to exchange information between a web server and a client. The web server referred to here is a computer network that has a large data storage capacity. And the client is a web browser that can display, access, and receive website content from the browser. Thus it can also be concluded that HTTP is a network protocol that regulates so that websites can be displayed through a browser.

While HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is actually a development of HTTP and has almost the same meaning, it’s just that the additional word “Secure” means safe, which indicates that the data sent from the browser to the server has been encrypted so that it cannot be misused by third parties. – irresponsible parties.

What is The Difference between HTTP and HTTPS

The difference between HTTP and HTTPS can be seen from the following components, namely:

1. Data security

The first difference between HTTP and HTTPS can be seen in terms of data security. Data sent by the HTTPS protocol is more secure than data sent via the HTTP protocol. So it is very useful to prevent various kinds of criminal problems in the form of data hacking. In addition, HTTPS also has a collaborative protocol in the form of security of transmitted data, so this feature makes HTTPS widely used by web developers at this time.

There are at least three data security protocol methods used by HTTPS, including:

• Data integrity – With the Message Authentication Code (MAC) validation process, other users cannot change the data sent by the client. MAC requires a message and a secret code that only the recipient and sender of the message can know. This process also serves to ensure that the recipient of the message can enter the same secret code.
• Server authentication – By using this protocol the client can trust that the data being accessed comes from the destination server. This process usually uses the client name and password validation. If the validation process is not displayed correctly, the server will automatically reject the client’s response.
• Data confidentiality – This protocol is equipped with data encryption so that data accessed by clients via web browsers, will not be understood by other clients. The data encryption method has a fairly complicated operating principle and requires a special code to read it. So that it can increase the security of data that can only be understood by the client.

2. Use of SSL

In general, the communication protocol between the client and server always uses the HTTP concept. And if you want to implement the HTTPS protocol, a certificate in SSL (Secure Socket Layers) format is required. There are six types of SSL that can be used by web developers. With this, the padlock symbol will appear on the URL address of your website.

So that it can make visitors believe that the website is safe to provide sensitive information. SSL is also very useful for storing important information such as identity, e-Banking passwords, and others.

3. Use of Port

The next difference lies in the port used. HTTP automatically uses port 80, and HTTPS uses port 443. If you use port 80, data from the client to the server will be forwarded directly to a computer or mobile phone. Meanwhile, if you use port 443, the host will ask for an SSL certificate because it is a secret network.

Benefits of using HTTPS

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1. Build visitor trust

The trust of visitors is very important for a website. No matter how good a website is if it cannot build visitor trust, visitors will also not want to interact through your website. Therefore, if you use HTTPS, then the benefits that you can feel are very useful in the long run. Because visitors will believe that the website they visit can provide information safely, thus making them trust to access your website.

2. Help SEO rankings

If your competitor’s website uses HTTP and you use HTTPS. Then your website will automatically rank above your competitors. Therefore the use of HTTPS is very useful to help SEO rankings from search engines. So it’s not surprising that currently there are 55% of websites use HTTPS as the standard security protocol.

3. Increase website traffic

If your website ranks at the top in the search field, it can increase traffic to your website. In addition, visitors also tend to choose to interact on safe websites, namely websites that are certified or use HTTPS.

Advantages and Disadvantages of HTTP and HTTPS

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Advantages of HTTP

• It’s faster to access because HTTP pages can be stored on the computer and cached.
• Does not depend on a particular platform.
• Supports implementation by other protocols on the internet and other networks.
• No runtime support is required.
• There is no network overhead to maintain session state and information.

Disadvantages of HTTP

• Anyone can easily change the content in it so data integrity can not be guaranteed.
• There is no privacy as it can be accessed by anyone.
• The information contained in it can be more easily read by hackers and misused for various unwanted things.
• Prone to the spread of viruses and malware.

Advantages of HTTPS

• Allows users to access information securely.
• Besides that, it can also make users make transactions through online media safely. For example, through various types of digital wallets and e-Banking.
• It has SSL technology which can build user trust and protect them.
• Usually, websites that use HTTPS will have a redirect. So your website will be easily accessed by visitors.

Disadvantages of HTTPS

• Network and compute overhead can occur due to the use of HTTPS.
• Data stored in the browser cannot be protected by the HTTPS protocol as cache.
• The data is only encrypted during the transmission process, so the text stored in the browser’s memory also cannot be deleted.

Closing

After knowing the difference between HTTP and HTTPS, you can see that nowadays most websites have switched to using HTTPS. So you don’t have to worry if you are asked to enter your personal data.

Because HTTPS has become the latest security protocol standard and the integrity of the data can also be guaranteed. HTTPS can also prevent and reduce the risk of hacking or other crimes that can threaten your data from being accessed by irresponsible people.

What is the function of Search Engines?

To make it easier for internet users to find information based on the keywords entered.

Why is HTTPS more secure than HTTP?

Because HTTPS is equipped with SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology. Where this technology encrypts every request and response from normal HTTP, so as to make the website more secure.

Is HTTPS always safe?

Of course not, because basically HTTPS only secures data between the browser used and the server. This technology will not work up to the database server.