How HTTPS and TLS work
A deeper look at TLS, the protocol behind HTTPS: what it guarantees, the TLS 1.3 handshake step by step, key exchange and forward secrecy, certificates and the chain of trust, how browsers check them, Let's Encrypt, and the configuration mistakes to avoid.
CodexBash, , 5 min read
The padlock in the address bar means a page arrived over HTTPS, which is ordinary HTTP carried inside TLS (Transport Layer Security). Our article on HTTP versus HTTPS covered why that matters. This one goes underneath: how two computers that have never met agree on secret keys while anyone may be listening, how your browser knows it is really talking to your bank and not an impostor, and what a server operator needs to get right. No maths beyond the ideas is needed.
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