What is HTTP and HTTPS?
Also called: HTTP, HTTPS, Hypertext Transfer Protocol
The short answer
HTTP is the protocol browsers and servers use to exchange web pages; HTTPS is the encrypted version, shown by the padlock, and is now the default for every site.
What people say: “the padlock”, “secure site”.
HTTP and HTTPS, explained
Without the S, anything typed into a page can be read or changed in transit. HTTPS encrypts the connection with a TLS certificate, which modern hosts issue for free.
Browsers label plain-HTTP sites as not secure, and search engines treat HTTPS as a baseline expectation.
Questions people ask about HTTP and HTTPS
What is HTTP and HTTPS?
HTTP is the protocol browsers and servers use to exchange web pages; HTTPS is the encrypted version, shown by the padlock, and is now the default for every site.
Why does my site say not secure?
It is being served over HTTP or has an invalid certificate; enable HTTPS at your host and redirect all HTTP traffic to it.
Is HTTPS free?
Yes on most modern hosts, which issue and renew certificates automatically.
Related terms
An SSL/TLS certificate proves a site's identity and enables HTTPS encryption; modern hosts issue and renew them automatically and free.
URLA URL is the full address of one specific resource on the web, made of a protocol, a domain and a path, like https://example.com/pricing.
Web serverA web server is software, and the computer running it, that receives requests from browsers and responds with web pages and files.
WebsiteA website is a collection of linked web pages published under one domain name, stored on a server and viewed in a web browser.
Part of the Web Encyclopedia by Apex Flow Digital. Definitions are general knowledge, kept current, with no invented statistics.