Guide to Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and HTTPS

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) are central to data communication on the World Wide Web. They can be described as:

HTTP: An application layer protocol developed by the Web's governing body, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It is used to deliver virtually all files and other data collectively referred to as web content from a web server to a web client, typically a web browser.
HTTPS: A secure version of HTTP, where communications are encrypted by TLS, or transport layer security.

HTTP works as a request-response protocol between a client and server. A client, like a web browser, sends an HTTP request to the server, then the server responds with an HTTP response that includes the status of the request and the requested content.
HTTPS works in the same way as HTTP but it encrypts the data sent and received for increased security.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on HTTP and HTTPS
1. Understand the basic operation of HTTP and HTTPS. Remember that HTTP is unsecured while HTTPS is secured.
2. Be familiar with the concept of http requests and responses.
3. Know that HTTP uses TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) as the transport protocol.
4. Be aware of the common HTTP methods such as GET (retrieve data), POST (send data), PUT (update data), and DELETE (remove data).
5. Understand that HTTPS is simply the secure version of HTTP, adding an encryption layer to the data communication.
6. Know that the 's' in HTTPS stands for secure, which is made possible by SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security)
7. Remember that use of HTTPS is increasingly vital in order to protect confidential data.
8. Revise the common HTTP status codes like 200 (OK), 404 (Not Found), and 500 (Server Error).