There are a lot of technical differences between HTTP and HTTPs. The first being the most important, HTTP is unsecured while HTTPs is secure (Jackson, 2016). HTTP and HTTPs also use different ports, HTTP sends data over port 80 while HTTPs uses port 443 (Jackson, 2016). HTTP also utilizes the application layer, while HTTPs utilizes the transport layer (Jackson, 2016). Also, HTTPs require at the least one domain validation while HTTP does not require domain validation (Jackson, 2016). HTTP doesn’t require an SSL certificate, while HTTPs requires an SSL certificate (Jackson, 2016). Lastly, HTTPs encrypts data before sending, and HTTP does not have encryption before sending (Jackson, 2016).
Technicalities aside there are a lot of real-world benefits of changing from HTTP to HTTPs. The modern-day economy relies on the internet for everyday business operations. Webpages play an integral role in the economy and there is a growing demand for cybersecurity. Garenne Bigby in her article titled “HTTP or HTTPs? The SEO Impact of Using SSL Certificates” states that Google’s SEO favors HTTPs (2017). The fact that companies like Google are incentivizing HTTPs has a massive impact on building a safer cyber-space. Cyber-attacks are a real concern for big and small business across the globe. When more and more webpages make the transition to HTTPs it contributes to the overall safety of the internet. That can increase customer confidence and be more financially rewarding to businesses. Being proactive with cybersecurity is a necessity for the safety of the internet and the global economy