Every time you open a webpage, many URLs start with “http”, for example:
“http://www.snooker.org/”,
“http://www.juxingzaixian.com/pc/”
However, sometimes when you access high-security websites such as banks, the prefix changes to “https”, for example:
https://apply.mcard.boc.cn/apply/pc/index
What do these two prefixes mean? What is their purpose? Many users may not be aware of this.
Let me explain it to you.
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, which is a protocol for transmitting text information over the internet. The various webpages we view are based on this protocol. Why does “http://” appear every time you open a webpage? The reason is very simple: to obtain hypertext information from the internet, you must adhere to its hypertext transfer specifications. It’s like in the story “Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy”, where the bandit says, “The king covers the earth tiger!” and Yang Zirong replies, “The pagoda镇河妖!” Only after the secret code is spoken can trust be established and communication occur. Thus, the “http://” that appears every time you open a webpage is like the secret code; only when the code is correct can you access the relevant information.
After reading the explanation above, you may understand why “http” appears every time you open a webpage. Next, let’s discuss why sometimes the secret code changes to “https”.
HTTPS stands for Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol, which adds SSL encryption to the HTTP protocol for secure information transmission. Using the same secret code analogy from “Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy”, you might think that if bandits always use well-known phrases like “The king covers the earth tiger! The pagoda镇河妖!”, then what security does such an organization have? As soon as the code is spoken, trust can be gained. However, this is not the case. If information confidentiality relied solely on a widely known secret code, the bandit leader would have long been captured. They likely also used “black talk”, which is a language only understood by the bandits of Tiger Mountain, such as:
Bandit: Mahi Mahi? (Are you still working alone?)
Yang Zirong: It’s noon, who doesn’t have a home? (Xu Dama is on the mountain.)
Bandit: Ha ba da! (Expert, a veteran.)
Yang Zirong: The world is big! (Not bragging, I’ve been through the leader.)
Similarly, the HTTPS protocol encrypts the hypertext protocol it needs to transmit through SSL, turning plain text into “black talk”. Even if the transmitted information is intercepted, the interceptor cannot understand its actual content. Therefore, the difference between http and https lies in whether the transmitted content is encrypted and whether it is developmental content. This is why you often see that URLs starting with https are mostly those of banks and similar websites.
XinZhi Team | ALD Contribution