What Is an SSL Certificate for Website and What Is It Used For?

Q: What happens if you don't have an SSL certificate?

If you think, “can I not use SSL ?“it is better to know that when a website doesn’t use this certificate, all its users will be warned of having an unsecured connection. So most of the people will leave your page, and it will badly affect your website. Also, you have to use this cert to make sure that the data your visitors share with you will remain safe.

As a website owner, you probably have come across the term “SSL certificate” around the web a lot. When you are first Building your website, such technical terms and concepts might seem complicated. However, if you intend to let your customers enter their private information online, you need to use the additional security measures that thisL certificate can provide.

Additionally, these certificates are fast becoming a requirement. They can be used all over the web, according to Google. If viewed using Google’s Chrome browser, websites that do not use them will be marked as unsecured. But they can do far more than give you a ranking and trust raise. This article will focus on what an SSL certificate is and how it works. After reading this text, you will have all the necessary information on how to secure your website using them.

What Is an SSL Certificate?

Let us review what is SSL certificate and how it works in the first place. Secure Sockets Layer is a standard security technology for creating an encrypted connection between servers and clients. This connection is typically between a web server (website) and a browser or a mail server and a mail client (e.g., Gmail).

It allows encrypted transfer of personal information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and login credentials. Data sent between browsers and web servers are usually shipped in plain text, leaving you vulnerable to eavesdropping. If an attacker can intercept all data transferred between a client and a web server, they will access and use it.

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SL is more precisely a security protocol

It is more precisely a security protocol. Protocols explain how to use the algorithms. This case specifies the encryption variables for both the connection and the data being transmitted. All browsers can use this protocol to communicate with protected web servers. But, to create a secure connection, the client and server need an SSL certificate.

Every day, SSL secures the data of millions of people on the Internet, specifically during online transactions or when transmitting confidential information. Internet users have come to equate their online protection to the lock icon with an SSL-secured website or a green address bar with extended validation. Moreover, secure websites start with HTTPS instead of HTTP.
So what does an ssl certificate do? As mentioned above, this technology aids in encrypting an internet connection and protects any data transmitted between a client and a web server. By encrypting and protecting any data passing through, you help prevent theft or manipulation of any data. Plus, the data would be complicated to decrypt in case of any data leakage from the connection because it is encrypted.

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the SSL technology aids in encrypting an internet connection and protect any data transmitted between a client and a web server

To be active, an SSL connection requires two systems. Think of a server and a website client or a relationship between a server to another server.
Any data which is passed between the two would be impossible to read. The encryption algorithms will scramble any data sent over the connection, so it won’t be easy to decide if the information is compromised.
SSL has been widely used to encrypt and safeguard confidential information, such as financial details, credit card numbers, and personal data. Today, however, with tighter privacy requirements, virtually every website will benefit from installing this certificate to protect any information about users.

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How Does SSL Work?

It works between your website (or application) and a visitor browser. This industry-standard system ensures data encryption is transmitted back and forth so that no unauthorized person can spy on and hack the information. It also prevents cybercriminals from using their encryption to direct visitor traffic to their site, thus gaining access to your data. All major web browsers have built-in SSL capabilities.

The process of activating this certificate on your website is straightforward. First, you are going to install the certificate on the server. A web browser connects to your server as an SSL certificate checker looks at the certificate and starts the connection. It will then encrypt any information passing between your client and server.

Here is a little more detailed overview of the procedure and the measures in place to guarantee the security of the website:

If the web browser validates the availability of an SSL certificate on the server, a handshake will happen.
The server will then submit all the necessary details, including the present type of certificate, the degree of encryption to be used, and more.
If the certificate is valid, then the secure connection will start.

Much of this happens immediately. It might seem complex and technical, but if you open a website with an activated certificate, you will never even know that the above steps have occurred.

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SSL Certificate Advantages

A website requires a secure sockets layer certificate to keep user data protected, verify website ownership, prevent attackers from creating a fake version of the site, and gain user confidence.

1- Encryption

SSL/ TLS encryption is possible due to the public-private key pairing allowed by the certificates. Clients (such as web browsers) get the public key from a server’s certificate to open a TLS connection.

2- Authentication

These certificates check that a client communicates to the correct server that owns the domain. This helps to avoid spoofing of domains and other forms of attacks.

3- HTTPS

This certificate is necessary for an HTTPS web address, which is most important for businesses. HTTPS is the encrypted type of HTTP, and HTTPS websites are websites with encryption for their traffic.

Besides protecting user data in transit, HTTPS makes sites more secure from a user perspective. Many users will not notice the difference between an HTTP:/ and an HTTPS:/ web address. However, most browsers have started marking HTTP pages as “not secure” in more obvious ways, trying to provide reasons to migrate to HTTPS and increase protection.

Disadvantages of SSL

Why should anyone not use it with so many advantages? Is there any problem with using these certificates?

Cost is a clear drawback. Most providers need to set up a reliable infrastructure and validate your identity, so costs are involved. That has been alleviated by increased market competition.
A further disadvantage is the required resources. Because the server has to encrypt the information you are sending, it takes more server resources than when the information was not encrypted. The difference in performance is only noticeable for websites with vast numbers of visitors, and in such cases can be minimized with special hardware.

Overall, there are a few drawbacks to using SSL, and the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Proper use of these certificates will help protect your customers, support you, and help you gain trust in your customers and sell more.

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How Does SSL Affect Your Visitors?

One of the most excellent benefits of having an SSL certificate on your site is how it can positively affect your user experience and improve the trust people feel toward your website. The moment a visitor lands on your website, they make assumptions about its security. It usually occurs subconsciously. Nevertheless, you can do a few things to drive this in the right direction—actions such as installing an SSL certificate to improve the security and trustworthiness of your website.

Your web server must have this certificate enabled, and your visitors will see that a certificate is enabled. The web browser tells visitors whether the site they are on is safe. The first hint is to see ‘HTTPS:/’ in place of ‘HTTP:/’ at the URL’s start. The website with an enabled SSL certificate will start with ‘HTTPS:/.’ The following visual factor will depend on the installed certificates.

The ‘HTTPS:/’ to the left will either be a padlock or a green address bar. Plus, if your website visitors use Google Chrome, your site will always be secure. Failure to use this certificate can result in an error message displayed to visitors before entering your website. Imagine seeing such an error the first time you land on a website. The chances of not returning are pretty high.

How Will an SSL Certificate Improve an Online Business?

A Certificate Authority (CA), such as Network Solutions, authenticates the identity of the buying company as part of the process of issuing an SSL certificate. The CA verifies the credentials of the buyer using information from the WHOIS database, data from Dun & Bradstreet, articles of incorporation, government-issued photo IDs, and/or other reputable sources.

This thorough identity validation approach ensures an SSL certificate is a reliable symbol of the trustworthiness of your company. Your certificate tells clients that your company is legitimate and that it is safe to do company with you online.

What Security Credentials Does an SSL Certificate Contain?

Above, we talked about that this certificate containing security credentials. Usually, it includes the items below:

The domain name that the certificate was issued for
Which person, organization, or computer it was given to
Which certificate authority issued it
The digital signature of the certificate authority
Related subdomains
Issue date of the certificate
The public key (the private key is kept a secret)

The public and private keys are essentially long strings of characters used to encrypt and decrypt data. As mentioned earlier, public-key encrypted data can only be solved with the private key and the other way around.

Why SSL Is Considered Better Security?

When a client (a browser) attempts to access a secure website, an SSL connection is formed by the client and web server using a process called “SSL Handshake.” Remember that it is invisible to the user and will occur instantly. Setting up this connection effectively uses the public, private, and session keys. The private key can only decrypt something encrypted with the public key and vice versa.

Since encryption and decryption with private and public keys require a lot of computing power, they are only used to build a symmetric session key. After configuring the secure connection, the session key is used to encrypt all transmitted data.

TLS vs. SSL

TLS is possibly another term you have come across around the web. It is short for Transport Layer Security. You could think of it as a version of SSL that is upgraded and more stable.

TLS is possibly another SSL-related term you have come across around the web

They are both cryptographic protocols that help authenticate and protect user data across a network. SSL is the early version of TLS. Upgrades were made over the years, new versions were published, and the ciphers and algorithms were modified to reflect the current online threats.
Although, you do not need to replace your secure sockets layer certificate with a TLS certificate. TLS will replace it as the widely used phrase in time.

HTTPS vs. SSL

HTTPS is short for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. After securing the domain using SSL, you will see it to the left of the website URL. If the site is not safe, you can see the standard HTTP instead. You will see the security credentials of the domain you are on when you hover over the secure HTTPS section in the URL bar.

How to Get an SSL Certificate for Your Website?

Getting an SSL certificate for your website depends on the host you are using and the type of site you are running. For example, you can receive a free certificate on certain hosting websites, no matter how much hosting plan you are on. Only some of the hosting plans offered are provided with a free SSL certificate. You will enable your certificate inside your control panel for the hosting.

After you have enabled it, you will need to ensure your domain redirects to the current HTTPS from the old HTTP. All you need to do is install the Really Simple SSL plugin if you are using WordPress.

With this plugin, you will have a new option under Settings>SSL inside your WordPress dashboard. When the plugin is enabled, it will search to see an available SSL certificate. If a certificate is enabled, you can allow SSL with a single click.

You can additionally configure your settings on the ‘Settings tab. But the ‘Enable WordPress 301 redirection to SSL’ is the most critical choice to turn on. If a person types in or links to your website’s HTTP version, they will automatically be redirected to the HTTPS version.

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What is an SSL Error?

Connection errors with SSL occur for the user’s benefit, not the owner of the platform. When you are trying to access a website, and there is an error in the SSL connection, the website has some security issues. You typically can still access the site in most situations but know that the site is not as safe as it should be.
It can show several security and connection errors. Typically, these can vary according to the browser you are using and the security error the site is going through. Often, this would be because they do not have an SSL certificate enabled, use an expired certificate, or have outdated security codes.
The error messages might seem quite alarming. But just because such announcements appear does not mean that the site is doing something wrong or attempting to steal your information.
If your website is experiencing some security errors, then this is something you will want to correct right away. This could mean you will need to upgrade your security protocols around the web or update or renew your SSL certificate.

It is crucial to get the problem resolved immediately. When any visitors land on your website and you have an error, they probably will not bypass the security error, so that you will lose their trust.

Frequently Asked Questions
Is SSL Certificate Free?

There are some certificates that are issued by non-profit authorities, such as Let’s Encrypt. Their goal is to encrypt the entire web to help HTTPS become the norm.

what does ssl stand for?

SSL is short for Secure Sockets Layer.

What Happens if You Don’t Have an SSL Certificate?

If you think, “can I not use SSL ?“it is better to know that when a website doesn’t use this certificate, all its users will be warned of having an unsecured connection. So most people will leave your page, and it will badly affect your website. Also, you have to use this cert to make sure that the data your visitors share with you will remain safe.

How Do I Check My SSL Certificate?

You can find the answer to the question of “does my site have SSL?” with just a few clicks:

Insert your website URL in the address bar of the Chrome browser
Click the padlock icon
Then click on the certificate (valid) in the pop-up
To validate that the certificate is current, check the proper dates

How Long for SSL Certificate to Work?

It depends on ssl type that you need. standard SSL certificate may activate within minutes and organization or extended certificates can take 3 to 6 days.

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