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Web hosting articles
What is SSL and why
do I need it?
SSL
stands
for
secure
sockets
layer,
and is
the
standard
means of
exchanging
encrypted
data
across
the
Internet.
The most
common
use of
SSL is
for
securing
credit
card
data. If
you’ve
ever
bought
something
on the
Internet
and used
a credit
card to
pay for
it, then
you were
using
SSL to
complete
the
transaction.
When SSL
is being
used,
the
address
in the
browser
will
change
from
“http:”
to
“https:”
Additionally
many
browsers
use some
sort of
icon to
indicate
that the
site is
secure,
for
example
a closed
padlock
in
Netscape.
SSL
works by
the use
of
encryption
keys.
When a
browser
requests
a secure
connection,
it will
send a
list of
supported
ciphers.
The
server
will
choose
the
strongest
cipher
available,
and
return
this to
the
browser.
The
server
will
then
send a
digital
certificate.
This
certificate
contains
the name
of the
server,
the name
of the
certificate
authority
and a
public
encryption
key. The
browser
will
then
generate
a random
number
with the
public
encryption
key, and
return
this to
the
server.
The
server
will
decode
this
using
its
private
key –
since
the
server
is the
only one
with
this
private
key;
this is
what
ensures
the
security
of the
transaction.
The
server
and
browser
can then
establish
a secure
connection,
and
private
information
can then
be
exchanged.
Luckily,
all of
this is
totally
transparent
to
anyone
wishing
to make
a
purchase
on the
Internet.
All
modern
browsers
support
SSL
transaction,
and all
the user
has to
do is
input
the
information
being
requested
by the
web site
he is
visiting.
The
question
of
whether
you need
SSL
capabilities
on your
web site
will
depend
on the
type of
site you
are
planning.
For a
personal
web
page, or
a small
site for
a club
then you
will
probably
not need
to offer
this.
However,
if you
are
planning
an
ecommerce
site
then you
must
have
some
means of
securing
your
customers’
data.
In order
to offer
SSL
transactions
you will
need to
offer a
digital
certificate.
Some web
hosting
companies
will
have
their
own
digital
certificates
available
for you
to use
if you
prefer.
However,
this is
not
recommended
as it
can
cause
some
problems
with
authentication.
To
obtain a
digital
certificate
of your
own you
will
need to
get this
from a
certificate
company.
There
are
several
to
choose
from –
Verisign,
Tucows
and
GoDaddy
amongst
others.
Prices
vary
from one
to
another
but you
will
probably
pay no
more
than
$100/year
for
this,
depending
on which
company
you
choose.
The
other
requirement
for
offering
SSL
transactions
is that
you will
need to
have a
static
IP
address
for your
web
site.
Many of
the web
hosting
plans
that are
available
only
offer
variable
IP
addresses
– this
means
that
your
site is
sharing
its IP
address
with
many
other
sites.
Unfortunately
in order
to offer
SSL
functionality
on your
site you
will
need a
static
IP
address.
If your
choice
of web
host
can’t
supply
this
then you
will
need to
look for
one that
can.
Expect
to pay a
premium
over the
regular
monthly
fees in
order to
get a
static
IP
address. |
