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What does https // mean at the beginning of a URL?

On the internet today, every URL has https:// at the beginning, and we are all used to it but many people do not really know what it means.

In simple terms, HTTPS means Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. What these further mean is that all engagement, data, or information transfer on such sites is secure.

Sensitive information like credit card details, date of birth, etc, cannot be intercepted by any 3rd party.

In an ideal situation, surfing the internet is like you are interacting with a server on the internet.

HTTPS ensures that the ‘conversation’ is secure. Meaning that only you and the server have access to the information shared. No one else could have access to the ‘conversation’.

Do not forget that https:// begins every URL. But you may wonder what URL means too.

URL Meaning And How It Relates To HTTP And HTTPS

According to Google, URL means Uniform Resource Locators.

Just as buildings and houses have a street address, webpages also have unique addresses to help people locate them. On the Internet, these addresses are called URLs (Uniform Resource Locators).

Google

All websites communicate with a server through Hypertext, hence, all URLs must have HTTP or https in their URL.

The column and two forward slashes (://) in a URL are the generally acceptable way of connecting the HTTP or https to a domain name. In a illustrative way, “://” could mean “on”.

For example, https://digitalacce.com simply means Hypetext Trasnfer Protocol on Digitalacce.com is secure (or not secure).

In essence, all URL must start with at least HTTP.

HTTP vs HTTPS

What does it mean when a website has HTTPS at the beginning of its URL as opposed to HTTP without the S?

HTTP is the exact opposite of what is explained in HTTPs. HTTP without the s means Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The S missing is Secure. Therefore, HTTP without the S is not secure.

In essence, all data or information exchanged on any sites with HTTP is not secure and can be intercepted by any 3rd party.

It’s like having a supposed confidential conversation with your spouse and someone else is listening (or can listen to it) without your knowledge.

Does HTTPS mean a website is safe?

HTTPS websites mean a data exchange between a web browser and the server is secure – cannot be seen by a 3rd party. However, it does not 100% guarantee safety. Why?

Sometimes, information shared on sites with HTTPS is sold or reused for spam or other malicious activities.

Even when a site has HTTPS, always ensure that you trust the site enough to share private info like email address, phone number, address, etc.

In addition, one can still get hacked on an HTTPS site. For example, SSL certificate cannot prevent a DDOS attack.

How Can A Site Have HTTPS?

A website needs to get either an SSL or TLS certificate to change an HTTP site to HTTPS.

SSL or TLS protocols encrypt data or information on a website and keep them secure and out of reach of any 3rd party.

SSL means Secure Sockets Layer while TLS means Transport Layer Security. But have the same function. However, the major difference between the two is that TLS is like the newer SSL. TLS offer a bit more security than SSL even though SSL is still very much fine for all websites.

Generally, most people still refer to TLS as SSL.

How To Get a FREE SSL Certificate On Your Site

I am always annoyed when I see hosting company sell SSL certificates. Why? Because you can get SSL certificate for free without paying a penny.

If you decide to use a blazing fast Cloud hosting company like Cloudways, you get FREE SSL certificate.

Watch this video below to see how easy it is to install SSL certificate on your site for FREE on CloudWays.

Another great option of FREE SSL certificate is Cloudflare.

Watch the video below to see how to install SSL certificate on your website with Cloufflare.

Final Thought

What does https // mean at the beginning of a URL?

Https means Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure while the :// is a way of communicating a domain name to be either secure or insecure. Both element are components of a URL.

Athough a website is secure when the URL has HTTPS, one must be very careful in order not to be hacked.

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