SSL/TLS Certificates — How HTTPS Actually Works
Understand the technology behind the padlock icon — how certificates are issued, how encryption works, and how to manage certificates for your domains.
You see the padlock icon in your browser's address bar every day. You know HTTPS means "secure." But what does that actually mean? What's being secured? Who's doing the securing? And why do certificates sometimes expire and break your entire website?
As a developer, you'll deal with certificate issues, configure HTTPS for custom domains, debug SSL errors, and make decisions about certificate authorities.
SSL vs TLS — Clearing Up the Names
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the original protocol for encrypted web connections, created by Netscape in the 1990s. It was replaced by TLS (Transport Layer Security) in 1999. Every version of SSL is deprecated and insecure.
When people say "SSL certificate," they actually mean "TLS certificate." The industry still uses the term "SSL" out
This lesson is part of the Guild Member curriculum. Plans start at $29/mo.