Difference Between HTTP and HTTPS (with Example and Comparison Chart)

The primary difference between HTTP and HTTPS protocol is that HTTP is not secure whereas HTTPS is a secure protocol which uses TLS/SSL certificate to ensure the authentication. These are the alpha privative for URL on the web and used to retrieve the web pages from the web server.

More precisely, HTTP and HTTPS are used to transfer hypertext documents on the world wide web (www).

These protocols are fairly easy, a client (typically a browser) sets a TCP connection to the server (HTTP or HTTPS), sends a request in the form of an ASCII string and expects a reply. The reply is often also formatted as an ASCII string, although, many other data formats can be returned by the server (for example, images are sent as binary data).

If we are using HTTP protocol, it is easier to breach the security as data and information transferring is in plain text. But while using HTTPS protocol, it is tough to breach the security as the data and information sent is in encrypted form. HTTPS protocol is highly recommended if the client is transferring his/her sensitive and confidential data.

Content: HTTP Vs HTTPS

Comparison Chart

Basis for comparison	HTTP	HTTPS
Prefix Used	Url begins with "http://"	Url begins with "https://"
Security	Unsecured.	Secured.
Operated On	Application layer	Transport layer.
Encryption	No encryption is there	Encryption is used.
Certificate	Not required.	Necessary
Port Used	Port number 80 is used for communication.	Port number 443 is used for communication.
Characteristics	It is subject to man-in-the-middle and eavesdropping attacks.	It is designed to resist man-in-the-middle and eavesdropping attacks and is considered secure against such attacks.
Example	Websites like internet forums, educational sites.	Websites like Banking Websites, Payment gateway, Shopping Websites, etc.

Definition of HTTP

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the base of the data communication for the web this is how the internet works when it comes to delivering the web pages. It is TCP/IP based protocol and things like text, audio, videos, images can be transmitted through it.

HTTP works on request and response cycle where the client requests a web page. Suppose, if you browse to google.com, you are requesting a web page from the server, and the server will deliver you response.

HTTP

HTTP is a stateless protocol which means every single transaction you made through HTTP is independent in nature. However, this can be delivered through using HTTP cookies, server side sessions, variables, URL rewriting.

When a client wants to browse a website first thing that happens is that request is sent to the server known as HTTP message. Thereafter, the server will prepare a response and send it back. The message will be different depending on its message response and request.

Request HTTP Message

Start line contains method, URI, and HTTP version.

Method: It is like a command that is given to the servers so that server will know what to do. for example, GET, POST, HEAD,
PUT, DELETE, etc.
URI: It expands to Uniform Resource Identifier is a set of readable characters and a way to locate the resource.
HTTP version: It specifies the version of HTTP a client is using.

In the headers, we have informational rules such as:

Host: Specifies the address of the server where we are sending a request.
Accept: Specifies the file type we are requesting.
Accept language: Specifies the language.

It doesn’t contain body in the request.

Response HTTP Message

Start line: there is no method in the start line as it is only used in the request. In the response, we have the HTTP version and status code.

HTTP version: It specifies the version of HTTP a client is using.
Status code: It tells the client if the request succeeded or failed. for example, 404- page not found, 200 – ok, etc.

The header will contain the same information as the request.

Host: Specifies the address of the server where we a request is sent.
Accept: Specifies the requested file type.
Accept language: Specifies the language.

The body will hold the file we have sought.

The main issue of HTTP is that it is not encrypted and plain text is used, meaning that it is unsecured at transferring data among the computer and server. It is popular to exploit the man-in-the-middle attacks, if you run a HTTP connection anyone can put himself in the middle and start using names, emails, passwords in the plain text.

Definition of HTTPS

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is nothing but the HTTP working in tandem with SSL (Secure Socket Layer) that is the “S” in HTTPS. SSL takes care of ensuring that the data goes securely over the internet. The alternative names given to HTTPS are HTTP over TLS, HTTP over SSL and HTTP secure.

This protocol was designed to increase primarily on the internet when communicating with web sites and sending sensitive data. This made man-in-the-middle attack increasingly difficult as the data send is no longer in plain text.

HTTPS

To secure your website one needs to purchase something called SSL certificate. These are relatively expensive and most hosting companies offer them. SSL certificate is analogous to an online identification card. SSL certificate also encrypts any data that passes through https protocol.

Now, a client requests data from the server it looks for the SSL certificate which will verify websites identity with the certificate. If everything is good, a handshake takes place where an encryption method is decided through SSL.

Key Differences Between HTTP and HTTPS

The points given below covers the difference between HTTP and HTTPS:

If we talk about security HTTP has security issues whereas HTTPS is secured.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol operates at application layer. On the contrary, Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure functions at Transport Layer.

HTTPS requires certificates to verify the identity of the websites. As against, in HTTP there is no requirement of certificates.

No encryption is used in HTTP. On the other hand both encryption and decryption is used in HTTPS.

For communication purposes, port number 80 is utilized in HTTP, while HTTPS makes use of port number 443.

HTTP is prone to man-in-the-middle and eavesdropping attacks, but HTTPS is designed to resist such attacks.

Example

HTTP could be used in most of the websites like internet forums, educational sites. Because these are open discussion forums, secured access is not required. For example http://www.ndtv.com

HTTPS should be used in Banking Websites, Payment gateway, Shopping Websites, Login Pages, Emails and Corporate Sector Websites. For example https://paytm.com/

Conclusion

Both HTTP and HTTPS are the hypertext document transferring protocol, but HTTPS provides a secure way to transfer the sensitive data, information and file from client to server and vice-versa on the internet.

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