Sunday, February 8, 2009

What is a Web Server Certificate?

(My Original Blog Post: http://blog.areawebsolutions.com/what-is-a-web-server-certificate.html)
An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a Web site and encrypts information sent to the server using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. Encryption is the process of scrambling data into an undecipherable format that can only be returned to a readable format with the proper decryption key.

A certificate serves as an electronic "passport" that establishes an online entity’s credentials when doing business on the Web. When an Internet user attempts to send confidential information to a Web server, the user’s browser accesses the server’s digital certificate and establishes a secure connection.

An SSL certificate contains the following information:

  • The certificate holder’s name

  • The certificate’s serial number and expiration date

  • A copy of the certificate holder’s public key

  • The digital signature of the certificate-issuing authority


NOTE:If you want to install an SSL certificate on our shared hosting, WebSite Tonight or Quick Shopping Cart, you must purchase one of our SSL certificates. We do not install SSL certificates from other providers on our shared hosting accounts.


Click to see SSL Certificates Plans



1 comment:

Tee Chess said...

I am familiar with the name but is not having complete knowledge about this term. The above shared information helped me to learn about web server certificates in detail. Thanks for explaining it in such a simple way.
digital certificate