What Is The Difference Between HTTP And HTTPS?

You may notice when you visit a website or see a typed URL that it typically starts with https://. However, occasionally, you may see http://. What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS? Is one better than the other? Is it worth investing in an HTTPS domain?In short, the basic difference between HTTP and HTTPS is encryption and security. Essentially, when using your connection to access a publicly available site, your computer uses HTTP (or HTTPS) to access this information. When using HTTP, anyone monitoring the connection could see this information. In theory, depending on the websites you visit and login to, this could leave personal information compromised. However, when a website uses HTTPS, the information is encrypted. Therefore, if a hacker is monitoring the connection (or if you’re using a public wifi network), the sensitive data that would be plainly visible to a hacker is now encrypted. This means that it simply looks like a random series of characters that takes years to decrypt.When setting up your own website, you want to ensure that you invest in an HTTPS connection. This means obtaining an SSL (or TLS) certificate via your server or website provider. This may even be included when you register your website. To learn how to keep your website secure during website design, call us at 206-787-0784. You can also reach out to us online using chat or our contact form.