http vs https
Printed From: Kiwi Airgunners
Category: General
Forum Name: Flub's General Discussion
Forum Description: General discussion goes in here.
URL: www.kiwiairgunners.co.nz/forum_posts.asp?TID=1275
Printed Date: 27 Jul 2026 at 6:01am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 10.14 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: http vs https
Posted By: Pauly5
Subject: http vs https
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2025 at 8:44am
|
Please excuse my ignorance here, but what is the difference between http and https? The reason I am asking is that lately a couple of people have said that they haven't joined the forum because of the connection not being secure. Is it a security certificate ensuring the site is secure? Is it worth getting or is there a cost involved? Question for all the IT minded people out there.
|
Replies:
Posted By: Loud_Whisper
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2025 at 9:39am
|
Yeah, the S literally stands for secure. Pretty uncommon to see anything with HTTP still these days. Also FWIW because it's well enough documented online, this is one of the things that chat gpt etc is "less terrible" at answering, if you want a more in depth (and maybe 90~% accurate) answer. |
Posted By: nunga
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2025 at 9:50am
|
https is a secure connection which you would use when using credit cards for buying stuff online. it creates a two way secure connection between the server and the users browser. Since this site doesnt use any of that and i dont have 3rd party ads or anything like that i have never bothered to even look at changing over to https. And for the extra monthly costs involved at my end i do not feel like this site needs it. But i could have another look at it if there were genuine concerns from the current users. ------------- 2nd place HP springer - WFTF World Championships 2014 |
Posted By: Pauly5
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2025 at 10:00am
|
That makes sense. So really only needed if there are additions for money transactions or directing to sites from adverts that lead to transactions. A guy said his laptop won't let him connect due to that, but he uses it for work and his settings are doing that. I know my work pc always comes up with the alert that it's not secure, but I've never worried about it. What does it cost per month?
|
Posted By: -Ec
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2025 at 10:09am
|
http is standard hypertext protocol and all data is sent across the internet in plain text and https is secure hypertext protocol and all data is sent across the internet encrypted. https does require a certificate for both verifying the site for the initial connection and encrypting all the information sent between the device the user has and the web server hosting the sight. In general, the certificate has to be generated\created by a recognized certificate authority (CA) and usually there are costs involved. While there are a few free public CAs these certificates are only valid for a relatively short period of time - usually less than 3 months before they need to be renewed. In most cases you can set up an automated process to renew the certificate before it expires. However this would require a level of access to the backend system the forum is running on that I suspect you don't have. Most "modern" web browsers warn if the site is not using https which can put people off using the site but I believe you need to look at the big picture. In order to "see" the data going between your device and the web server someone has to be able to get in between your device and the web server. If you are having coffee in a café and using their free wifi it is trivial for someone else to set up a device to capture all the data going across the café wifi. Of course this will include everyone else on the wifi, not just you. If you are at home using your wifi is it not so easy for someone to capture your data. However what are they going to get from this anyway? Other than your initial log on to the site which will include you password (you don't use the same password everywhere do you!) the only stuff they will get is the stuff that is on the site that anyone can already view as a guest user anyway - I don't see a problem with this - do you? For a bit more info on certificates in general and how one of the "free" public CA's work check out https://letsencrypt.org/how-it-works/" rel="nofollow - How It Works - Let's Encrypt FWIW the UK airgun forum uses Let's Encrypt for their site. ------------- Regards, -Ec |
Posted By: nunga
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2025 at 1:15pm
It would cost an extra $120 per year or 10 bucks a month ------------- 2nd place HP springer - WFTF World Championships 2014 |
Pauly5 wrote:Posted By: Pauly5
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2025 at 7:31pm
|
Well, I must say that was a very comprehensive and well worded answer, thanks. So its not really necessary is it. Just waiting for that sponsorship deal to come through from JSB or H&N. Either is fine by me. |
Posted By: vault
Date Posted: 03 Jun 2026 at 3:32am
|
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol vs HTTPSecure Security certificates Banks use https Thats all i remember
|
Posted By: metallicsting
Date Posted: 03 Jun 2026 at 9:41pm
|
Hi all, Just to add a practical angle to the HTTP vs HTTPS discussion. On an HTTP site, the main issue isn’t what people can see on the forum itself — it’s how login details are transmitted. When you log in, your username and password are sent across the internet in plain text before the session is established. That means on unsecured networks (like public Wi-Fi), there is a theoretical risk that those details could be intercepted in transit. Because of that, I personally don’t reuse this forum password anywhere else and treat it as a “throwaway” password. I suspect others may do the same without realising why. HTTPS removes that issue by encrypting the login process so credentials can’t be read in transit, even if someone is monitoring the connection. I understand there’s a cost involved, but from a user trust and modern browser standards point of view, HTTPS is now basically expected rather than optional. I also think having HTTPS would likely help attract more members, as seeing “Not secure” when first visiting the forum can be a real put-off. If cost is the main concern, running a small amount of Google Ads could potentially help offset the annual hosting and HTTPS costs over time without significantly impacting the site experience. I’ve used it before on a website I ran, and it was fairly straightforward to set up. ------------- FX Impact M4 .22 Cal Ruger 22LR |