How SSL works tutorial - with HTTPS example
Know what happens when you submit your data or information to a secure site? I added another tutorial, this time about SSL. It explains in a step-by-step fashion what SSL (specifically TLS) is for, and how it works, using examples.
The tutorial covers how SSL is useful for both encryption and identification (often called authentication because it authenticates the server your browser is speaking to). I go through a quick example of what happens behind the scenes when you submit a form on the web through HTTPS. The example covers what’s called the ‘SSL handshake’ in detail, and the messages the computers send each other so to establish an encrypted connection. I try to give graphical examples to make it obvious s at’s happening.
I also cover identification - how your browser knows how to ‘trust’ a certificate that is sent from a web server. This covers the role of a CA (Certificate Authority) in how they electronically represent their trust in other organizations.
If you want a good foundation for what you learn on this tutorial, I recommend you check out the wikipedia article on Public Key Encryption at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography (which I touch on but do not explain in the tutorial). If you want to go further than my tutorial, your next best bet is to have a look at the wikipedia article on transport-layer security at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Sockets_Layer.
All comments welcome.
Tags: guide, https, leadingcoder.com, secure sockets layer, ssl, tls, transport layer security, tutorial