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Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a protocol for transmitting messages securely over the Internet. A layer of programming located between the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) layer and the Transport Control Protocol (TCP) layer allows SSL to function. By convention, URLs that require an SSL connection start with https: instead of http:.
Processing transactions securely on the web means that we need to be able to transmit information between the web site and the customer in a manner that makes it difficult for other people to intercept and read. SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, takes care of this for us and it works through a combination of programs and encryption/decryption routines that exist on the web hosting computer and in browser programs (like Netscape and Internet Explorer) used by the Internet public.
Another protocol for transmitting data securely over the World Wide Web is Secure HTTP (S-HTTP). Whereas SSL creates a secure connection between a client and a server, over which any amount of data can be sent securely, S-HTTP is designed to transmit individual messages securely. SSL and S-HTTP, therefore, can be seen as complementary rather than competing technologies.
