TLS/SSL
TLS/SSL is a set of protocols that is used to secure many servers on the Internet. SSL is the successor to TLS. However, they are not always interchangeable. SSL uses the Message Authentication Code (MAC) algorithm, while TLS uses the Hashing for Message Authentication Code (HMAC) algorithm.
SSL is often used with a number of other protocols, including File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet, Net News Transfer Protocol (NNTP), Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), and Interactive Message Access Protocol (IMAP).
TLS/SSL does incur a performance hit in providing these capabilities. However, as internet speeds increase, the hit is not usually significant.
When the HTTPS protocol is used, a user will know because the protocol is normally present in the address field of a browser. It is even used in places where you may not expect it, such as in the following Google URL:
We will not delve into the details of how the SSL protocol works. However, a brief discussion of this protocol can...
