HTTP & HTTPS for Beginners

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is an application layer protocol that helps web application to interact with our web browser and transferring data like images, audio, video, documents, etc. from the server. API allows different software programs to communicate with each other, and HTTP is the language that API uses to send and receive information.

HTTP is connectionless- after making a request, the client disconnects from the server. Connection is re-established when the server delivers a response

HTTP is stateless- the server knows about the client only during the current request.

There are two HTTP methods for communication-

1. Request: A request is a message sent by the client to the server, asking for a specific resource or action to be performed.

2. Response: A response is a message sent by the server in response to a client’s request. The status code indicating the outcome of the request (e.g. 200 OK, 404 Not Found, etc.)

   

The S IN HTTPS simply represents security. This ensures that the information is encrypted and no one can steal/tamper with it. This encryption is provided by SSL/TLS certificate provided by third parties like GoDaddy and Cloudflare. So in simple terms, HTTPS is a more secure version of HTTP because it encrypts the information being sent and received, which helps protect against hackers. This security is essential while sharing private information for payments and another purpose.

There are two types of SSL(secure socket layer) /TSL(Transport layer security)-

1. Asymmetric: In Asymmetric, encryption is done by the browser's public key and decryption is done by the server’s private key

2. Symmetric: In Symmetric, both encryption and decryption are done by the same keys.