HTTPS Port: Understanding What It Is and How to Use It?

6 min readOct 19, 2023

HTTPS is now not a foreign concept for people. We came across it while constructing website URLs. People think that HTTPS is safer than HTTP. However, there is a lot of uncertainty among the population.

In this tutorial, we will look at the HTTPS port and see what it is and how it works. Therefore, let’s not waste any more time and get started right away.

What Does the HTTPS Port Mean?

It means “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure.” HTTPS ports use SSL or TLS to encrypt conversations, which adds an extra layer of security when you visit a site. There is a unique number that makes each HTTPS port stand out from the others.

As usual, use HTTPS for HTTPS interactions, which keeps web browsers safe. Use port 443 or 8443. When you go to an HTTPS website, for example, it uses network port 443 or 8443 to ask its hosted server for special services. Following this, the server links up with the asked-for port, which in HTTPS is secured, and sends the service to the website.

People who use web hosting server sites can send and receive data over the Internet without worrying about safety.

How Does HTTPS Protect Data While It’s Being Sent Over a Network?

HTTPS uses SSL or TLS certificates to secure and protect data transmission. You can use SSL and TLS in place of each other because they both do the same thing.

TLS, on the other hand, is the latest and best form of SSL. More and more HTTPS sites are switching to the TLS form of their protocol, which is safer than SSL.

How Are HTTPS and SSL/TLS Protocol Different From Each Other?

Now that you know the difference between TLS and SSL, let’s look at how HTTPS ports and SSL/TLS protocol work together to make a safe link.

Web pages use the HTTPS system, which is run on top of an SSL/TLS certificate. It is put on a web hosting server so that the link between a website and a web browser is safe and encrypted. When people want to send information, the SSL protocol makes sure they are who they say they are. After that, HTTPS gives you a way to send that data to the server.

Why Should I Use HTTPS Instead of HTTP?

Sites that use SSL certificates use HTTPS, while sites that don’t use SSL or TLS use HTTP. Websites that use the HTTP protocol send and receive data in plain text. In contrast, websites that use the HTTPS protocol encrypt data before sending it over the channel, making it hard to read.

When you share private information online, like credit card numbers, personal details, login credentials, etc., be careful. Make sure that a website encrypts data and proves its name using the HTTPS protocol. You can be sure that your information is safe that way.

URLs that start with HTTP, on the other hand, are unsafe and may use your information for other things.

HTTP vs. HTTPS.

Here are the two main ways to tell if a website has an SSL/TLS certificate:

Before you click on a website link on your computer, read the URL. Your information is safe if the URL starts with HTTPS.
After going to the site, look for the padlock icon before the domain name in the search bar. By clicking on the padlock, you can see information about the site and how to connect to it.

What Is the Difference Between HTTPS Ports 443 and 8443?

As already mentioned, ports have numbers that identify them for various purposes. Most of the time, HTTPS ports 443 and 8443 are used. What makes them different, though? The clear answer is that 8 was added to 443!

Of course, there is more to the difference than that. Let’s look at what each port does and how it works.

What Does the Number 443 Mean?

When you use HTTPS, the usual number for the port is 443. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) thinks of it as the most important port for the HTTPS system. At port 443, an SSL/TLS certificate turns normal text into an algorithm before the data is sent over the Internet. In other words, this browser-specific port turns data into a programme that encrypts it. The algorithm is then turned into ciphertext on port 443 before being sent to the computer to keep privacy safe.

In this way, port 443 gives the browser and computer a safe way to talk to each other and send data.

What Does the Port Number 8443 Mean?

Port 8443 is another standard that the Apache Tomcat server can use instead of HTTPS. Web servers can use port 8443 to connect to the SSL/TLS protocol text service. The main reason that ports 443 and 8443 are different is how they keep data safe.

Port 8443 creates a pair of keys for each person who is using the browser. Then, hide it in the user’s web browser to make sure they are who they say they are and to provide a safe way to communicate.

Various HTTPS Ports

There are, however, many other HTTPS port numbers that offer similar services. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has a list of registers that you can look at. These are some of them:

832: NETCONF for SOAP over HTTPS

5989: WBEM CIM-XML (HTTPS)

8243: Synapse Non-Blocking HTTPS

16993: Intel (R) AMT SOAP/HTTPS

20003: COMM tact HTTPS

For What Reason Should I Make My Website Use HTTPS?

If you run a website, you might be wondering if it’s a good idea to switch to HTTPS. It would help if you did it as soon as possible, and we have good reasons for that.

It earns users’ trust right away. People may not know the difference between HTTP and HTTPS, but the lock icon or security message that computers show can make them never come back to your site. These days, internet safety is the most important thing. So, if you want people to visit your site again, the very least you can do is give them a safe link.

Also, there are many perks to using an HTTPS protocol, such as:

HTTPS keeps both your users and your website’s information safe. It gives requests a highly encrypted channel so they can be sent and received over the network.
It has a big impact on SEO as well. Google has officially said that sites that use the HTTPS standard will do better in the SERP (Search Engine Result Page). At the moment, more than 94% of websites use HTTPS. If you use an insecure protocol, you will have little chance of fighting in the rankings.
And you can only have an eCommerce site with an SSL or TLS certificate. According to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), all websites accepting online payments must use the HTTPS protocol. They need to meet the basic conditions in that scenario.

Does Port 8080 Use HTTP or HTTPS?

The HTTPS system sends data to port 443, which is encrypted. However, since HTTP sends data as plain text, the web hosting server can accept it on port 80 or 8080.

The port number lets you know which protocol it is and makes the conversation more organised. So, the HTTP protocol is the only one that can use port 8080.

Does HTTPS Use TLS or TCP?

The words TLS and TCP are some of the hardest to understand when it comes to how HTTPS works. You already know about TCP port 443; HTTPS uses it to send data to the web hosting server. On the other hand, TLS is even better than SSL. Adding this to the TCP port makes it safer to send and receive data.

In other words, HTTPS encrypts data before passing it through TCP port 443 after TLS.

Is the HTTPS System Completely Safe?

It’s pretty hard to be 100% safe in real life, let alone online. Hackers can get into even the safest sites, and HTTPS is no different. Hackers with a lot of experience can still get to data sent through port 443, even though it is safer than other protocols like HTTP.

Conclusion

HTTPS is often regarded as the most secure protocol. Because it is a combination of SSL and HTTP, it provides additional protection. HTTP and HTTPS are two separate concepts. There are various HTTPS ports. Each of them is employed for a specific task. It is ideal for e-commerce websites, protects personal data, and has a significant impact on SEO.