HTTP and HTTPS protocols: what it is, how they work and what is the difference?

Many web users do not know what the letters HTTP and HTTPS that precede each search engine address refer to, but they are of great importance, for example, in terms of user security and the speed of uploading data to a website. If a site owner cares about the high ranking of his site on Google, he should be aware of the benefits of the HTTP and HTTPS protocols.

What is the HTTP protocol?

The HTTP protocol sends data to the browser from a server where all files belonging to a given website are stored. In fact, you can use the Internet thanks to it. The work of HTTP protocol can be defined as follows:
- using the Internet, the client sends a request to the server. This happens, for example, when clicking on a link of interest;
- the server sends the data of interest to the client. These are all content, graphics, photos, and banners.

How does HTTP work in practice? The protocol does not store information about users. The advantage of this solution is definitely less data load on the server, which results in much higher website performance. However, this also comes with one particular disadvantage - in order to enable the website multiple times, it must be downloaded from the server again. There is a solution to this problem - these are cookies. They are added to the site and constantly collect data about network users. The collected information can be used by the website owner for many marketing campaigns or during positioning. With the help of cookies, it receives information about the interests and last visited pages of visitors to its website. This allows him to advertise his new products or encourage them to buy a specific product if the order has not been previously placed. This tactic is commonly used in internet marketing.

What is HTTPS?

HTTPS is a much more common protocol that is used on websites which need to protect sensitive data. You can meet it on the websites of banks, online stores or exchange offices. The protocol encrypts the transmitted data, so even after it is intercepted, no one will be able to read it.

HTTP "becomes" HTTPS with SSL certificate. It appears in the URL field as a green padlock. This is a sign that the user is bold to make a payment on this site.

HTTP and HTTPS: differences

The main difference between HTTP and HTTPS is security. Which protocol should you use on your website - HTTP or HTTPS? The last option is definitely worth choosing. Data protection is important not only where payments are made. This type of encryption is also increasingly chosen by the owners of websites where users create profiles by providing their personal data.

Google somehow rewards websites that stay safe online with encryption. If you use the portal without an SSL certificate, you will definitely receive a warning in the form of a notification. In this way, search traffic moves to websites that have taken due care to protect their users. They choose not to use the previous page and choose places on the web that cannot harm them - a very responsible approach.

Another difference, less obvious and noticeable to users who are not familiar with the operation of protocols, is the use of a different default service port. In HTTP this is port 80, and in HTTPS it is 443.