Differences, Benefits, and Migration Tips

Thinking about switching your website over to HTTPS?

This guide covers the key differences between HTTP vs. HTTPS, the benefits of using HTTPS, and how to migrate from HTTP to HTTPS step by step.

But before that, let’s cover some basics.

What Is HTTP?

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It’s a set of rules that allows web browsers (like Chrome or Safari) to communicate with web servers (the computers that host websites).

HTTP uses a request-response model.

For example, when you enter a website address into your browser’s address bar, your browser sends a request to the server.

Once the server transfers the resource to the browser, the connection between them closes. Your browser establishes new connections as needed when you navigate to other webpages on the site.

The protocols defined by HTTP were foundational in creating the World Wide Web as we know it today.

But HTTP has some significant drawbacks:

• HTTP traffic is unencrypted and sent as plain text. This means anyone on the same network can easily intercept and read all transferred data.
• There is no way to authenticate or verify the identity of a website accessed over HTTP
• HTTP offers no protection against tampering. Attackers can modify data before reaching its destination.
• Websites accessed over HTTP are vulnerable to threats like session hijacking, man-in-the-middle attacks, and data leaks.

Browsers—such as Google Chrome—may also block content and URLs served over HTTP by triggering a “Not Secure”...