Answer
HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer, or HTTP over SSL.
HTTPS encrypts and decrypts the page requests and page information between the client browser and the web server using a secure Socket Layer (SSL). HTTPS by default uses port 443 as opposed to the standard HTTP port of 80. URL’s beginning with HTTPS indicate that the connection between client and browser is encrypted using SSL.
SSL transactions are negotiated by means of a keybased encryption algorithm between the client and the server, this key is usually either 40 or 128 bits in strength (the higher the number of bits the more secure the transaction).
HTTPS should not be confused with S-HTTP, a security-enhanced version of HTTP. SSL and S-HTTP have very different designs and goals so it is possible to use the two protocols together. Whereas SSL is designed to establish a secure connection between two computers, S-HTTP is designed to send individual messages securely.
Both protocols have been submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for approval as a standard.
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Keywords:https Secure HTTP SSL TLS