HTTPS Flow

A simplified explanation of how HTTPS works.

  1. Initiating the Connection:

    • You, as a user, type a website address (e.g., https://www.example.com) into your browser and hit Enter.

    • Your browser sends a request to the web server hosting the website.

  2. Server Verification (SSL Handshake):

    • The web server responds with its SSL certificate. This certificate includes the server's public key and some other information.

    • Your browser checks the certificate to ensure it's valid and issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). If the SSL certificate presented by the web server is not issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA), your web browser will typically display a warning to inform you that the connection may not be secure. This warning could manifest as a message indicating that the connection is not private or that the certificate is not trusted.

    • If everything checks out, your browser generates a session key, encrypts it using the server's public key, and sends it back to the server.

  3. Establishing Secure Connection:

    • The server receives the encrypted session key and decrypts it using its private key.

    • Both your browser and the server now have the same session key, which they'll use to encrypt and decrypt data during the session.

  4. Secure Data Transfer:

    • From this point on, all data exchanged between your browser and the server is encrypted using the session key.

    • This encryption ensures that even if someone intercepts the data while it's being transmitted, they won't be able to understand it without the session key.

  5. Page Loading:

    • Once the secure connection is established, your browser continues to send the request for the webpage content.

    • The server responds by sending the requested web page and any associated files (images, scripts, etc.).

    • Your browser receives the encrypted data and decrypts it using the session key.

  6. Closing the Connection:

    • After the webpage is fully loaded, your browser and the server may decide to terminate the connection.

    • If the connection is terminated, the session key is discarded, and a new one will be generated for any future connections.

In summary, HTTPS ensures secure communication between your browser and the web server by encrypting data using SSL/TLS protocols. TLS is a successor of SSL.

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