<p>HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It offers set of rules and standards which govern how any information can be transmitted on the World Wide Web. It provides standard rules for web browsers &amp; servers to communicate. It is an application layer network protocol that is built on top of TCP. It uses Hypertext structured text which establishes the logical link between nodes containing text. It is also known as "stateless protocol" as each command is executed separately, without using the reference to the previous run command.</p><p><br></p><h3>Advantages of HTTP:</h3><ul><li>HTTP can be implemented with other protocol on the Internet, or on other networks</li><li>HTTP pages are stored on computer and internet caches, so it is quickly accessible</li><li>Platform independent which allows cross-platform porting</li><li>Does not need any Runtime support</li><li>Usable over Firewalls! Global applications are possible</li><li>Not Connection-Oriented; so no network overhead to create and maintain session state and information</li></ul><p><br></p><h3>Limitations of HTTP:</h3><ul><li>There is no privacy as anyone can see content</li><li>Data integrity is a big issue as someone can alter the content. That's why HTTP protocol is an insecure method as no encryption methods are used.</li><li>Not clear who you are talking about. Anyone who intercepts the request can get the username and password.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>HTTPS stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure. It is highly advanced and secure version of HTTP. It uses port no. 443 for Data Communication. It allows secure transactions by encrypting the entire communication with SSL. It is a combination of SSL/TLS protocol and HTTP. It provides encrypted and secure identification of a network server.</p><p>HTTP also allows you to create a secure encrypted connection between the server and the browser. It offers the bi-directional security of Data. This helps you to protect potentially sensitive information from being stolen.</p><p><br></p><p>In HTTPS protocol SSL transactions are negotiated with the help of a key-based encryption algorithm. This key is generally either 40 or 128 bits in strength.</p><p><br></p><h3>Advantages of HTTPS:</h3><ul><li>In most cases, sites running over HTTPS will have a redirect in place. Therefore, even if you type in HTTP:// it will redirect to an https over a secured connection</li><li>It allows users to perform secure e-commerce transaction, such as online banking.</li><li>SSL technology protects any users and builds trust</li><li>An independent authority verifies the identity of the certificate owner. So each SSL Certificate contains unique, authenticated information about the certificate owner.</li></ul><p><br></p><h3>Limitations of HTTPS:</h3><ul><li>HTTPS protocol can't stop stealing confidential information from the pages cached on the browser</li><li>SSL data can be encrypted only during transmission on the network. So it can't clear the text in the browser memory</li><li>HTTPS can increase computational overhead as well as network overhead of the organization</li></ul><p><br></p><h3>Summary</h3><ul><li>In HTTP, URL begins with “http://” whereas URL starts with “https://”</li><li>HTTP uses port number 80 for communication and HTTPS uses 443</li><li>HTTP is considered to be insecure and HTTPS is secure</li><li>HTTP Works at Application Layer and HTTPS works at Transport Layer</li><li>In HTTP, Encryption is absent and Encryption is present in HTTPS as discussed above</li><li>HTTP does not require any certificates and HTTPS needs SSL Certificates</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Happy Coding ...</p><p><br></p>

Intro to http and https

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