What is SSL?
The abbreviation SSL stands for "Secure Sockets Layer", a protocol that allows data to be transmitted over the Internet in encrypted form.
An SSL certificate ensures that personal data such as names, addresses or credit card numbers cannot be read or changed by unauthorised persons during transfer. SSL encryption is used, for example, in web shops and bank sites. Here it is indispensable, even mandatory when transmitting personal data.
The use of SSL certificates achieves a significant gain in trust with the user, which you can use in marketing and promotions.
Every web browser can check certificates for authenticity and validity and provides the user with information on whether the page they visit was transmitted in encrypted form, as well as whether parts of a website or the entire website were transmitted unencrypted.
However, SSL is universally applicable and can also be used, for example, for the encrypted transmission of e-mails between the e-mail program and the mail server. Here, the connection is also established in encrypted form, i.e. user name and password are transmitted encrypted, as are the contents of the e-mail including all attachments.
In addition, the use of an SSL certificate has an impact on a website‘s ranking in search engines. Websites with their own SSL certificate are ranked higher and are therefore displayed higher up in the search results.
What is a Certificate?
Certificates are used to verify the authenticity of a web page or server. To do this, you need a certificate from a recognized certification authority (CA) that also stores the public key of the certificate. To be able to decrypt the exchanged data again, another key is used, the private key. This private key is only stored on the verified server.
The certification authorities require and verify extensive information from the applicant, depending on the type of certificate.
Every web browser can check certificates for authenticity and validity and tells the user whether the requested page has been transmitted encrypted, as well as whether parts of a website or the entire website were transmitted unencrypted. Each user can thus easily check for themselves whether the transmitted data is protected from access by third parties.
