What is SSL ?

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a certificate that helps you to protect your website data from the malware attacks. This Certificate encrypt your website data on time to time basis.

This certificate not only protect the data, but it also improves the Site’s position on search engine results.

Types of SSL Certificates -:

Single Domain SSL certificate -:

Single Domain SSL certificate only applies to one domain and cannot be used by other domains or subdomains. All  pages that were covered under this domain are protected.

For example cloudfare.com have have single domain certificate then the cloudfare.com/learning(learning is the page of the domain) is also protected. 

Wildcard SSL certificate -:

Wildcard SSL certificate are for a single domain and all its sub domains. A main root of the subdomain is its main domain. All subdomains are derived from the main domain.

For example, www.cloudfare.com has a number of subdomains, including blog.cloudflare.com , support.cloudfare.com and developer.cloudflare.com. Each is a subdomain under the main cloudfare.com domain.

Multi Domain SSL Certificate -:

In Multiple Domain SSL certificate only one certificate can be applied on multiple domains, Domains that are not subdomains of each other can share a certificate with each other. Which helps in saving our valuable time and money. Most of the businesses websites use this certificate.

Advantages and Disadvantages of SSL-:

Advantages -:

Security -: The main objective of the SSL certificate is to  encrypt the information ,so that they can not be read by the third party. Thus SSL  makes it ideal for securing sensitive information such as the user IDs, passwords and credit cards number.

Reliability -: When we use SSL certificate on our site, it provides verification. Which will increase the visitors trust on our website.

Online Payments -: When we receive online payments from our site it need 128 bit encryption to accept the payments . Without it site won’t be able to accept payments from credit cards.

Phishing Attacks -: After developing a website hackers and crackers ask users their personal information like name, address, credit card details, bank details etc.

 After receiving this data they misuse it for their own benefit. If we have SSL certificate then our site is protected.

Disadvantages -:

Performance -: When you use SSL certificate on a site, it reduced the performance of site due to encryption and decryption of data.

This is mainly noticeable on a site where there are large number of visitors on site.

Cost -: Purchasing a SSL certificate is quite expensive. This is basically due to the maintenance involved and the verification process. 

However some of the hosting companies offer free SSL certificate ,Depending upon the type of hosting.

Expiry -: When the SSL certificate needs to renewed. If it is not renewed time to time, There will be pop up message stating that the SSL certificate has expired. 

Which means that the site is not secure anymore. Hence, the customers can lose trust in conducting transactions.

Data Integrity -: When there is not any SSL certificate on the website the website is more vulnerable to man in the middle attacks. Using a SSL certificate means that the site can be benefited from data integrity. 

All the data that is been stored inside the online servers are well protected from external threats.

What Do You Mean By Encryption and Decryption ?

Encryption -: It is the process to convert the normal readable message (Plaintext) into a non readable message (Cheaper text).

Decryption -: It is the process to convert our non readable message(Cheaper text) into normal readable message(plaintext).
The process of encryption and decryption is happened to protect our information and data from the hackers, Thus our data is safe and protected.