What is the difference between SSL and TLS?

TLS is the successor to SSL. SSL 3.0 was deprecated in 2015 due to security vulnerabilities. When people say "SSL," they almost always mean TLS. Use TLS 1.2 or 1.3 — never SSL.

Do I need to pay for an SSL certificate?

No. Let's Encrypt provides free, automated, trusted certificates. Paid certificates offer extended validation (company name in the certificate) but provide no additional encryption strength.

HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) is a header that tells browsers to only connect via HTTPS. Once a browser sees the HSTS header, it will refuse HTTP connections to that domain, preventing downgrade attacks.

SSL/TLS Explained

The encryption protocols that secure every internet connection, from web browsing to API calls, ensuring privacy and trust.

SSL/TLS

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) are cryptographic protocols that encrypt data in transit between clients and servers, ensuring privacy, data integrity, and authentication for internet communications.

Explanation

When you see the padlock icon in your browser, TLS is at work. TLS (the modern successor to SSL) establishes an encrypted tunnel between the client and server through a process called the TLS handshake. During the handshake, the server presents a digital certificate proving its identity, both parties agree on encryption algorithms, and session keys are exchanged. TLS provides three guarantees: confidentiality (data is encrypted, so eavesdroppers cannot read it), integrity (data cannot be tampered with in transit without detection), and authentication (the server is who it claims to be, verified by a trusted Certificate Authority). Without TLS, any network intermediary — ISPs, Wi-Fi hotspot operators, or attackers — can read and modify traffic. Modern TLS (1.3, released 2018) reduced the handshake from two round trips to one, improving performance. HTTPS (HTTP over TLS) is now the default for all web traffic — browsers mark HTTP sites as "Not Secure," search engines penalize them, and many APIs require it. Let's Encrypt provides free, automated certificates, eliminating cost as a barrier.

Bookuvai Implementation

Every Bookuvai deployment uses TLS 1.3 with automated certificate provisioning through Let's Encrypt or AWS Certificate Manager. HSTS headers enforce HTTPS-only connections, and our CDN configuration terminates TLS at edge locations for optimal performance. Security headers (Strict-Transport-Security, Content-Security-Policy) are included in our standard deployment checklist.

Key Facts

TLS 1.3 reduces handshake latency to a single round trip
Let's Encrypt has issued over 3 billion free certificates
HTTPS is a ranking factor for Google search results
SSL is deprecated — TLS is the current standard, but "SSL" persists as a colloquial term
Certificate Authorities verify domain ownership before issuing certificates

Related Terms

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between SSL and TLS?: TLS is the successor to SSL. SSL 3.0 was deprecated in 2015 due to security vulnerabilities. When people say "SSL," they almost always mean TLS. Use TLS 1.2 or 1.3 — never SSL.
Do I need to pay for an SSL certificate?: No. Let's Encrypt provides free, automated, trusted certificates. Paid certificates offer extended validation (company name in the certificate) but provide no additional encryption strength.
What is HSTS?: HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) is a header that tells browsers to only connect via HTTPS. Once a browser sees the HSTS header, it will refuse HTTP connections to that domain, preventing downgrade attacks.