How a Secure Web Connection Encrypts Data

See how a browser and server establish an encrypted connection before exchanging private web traffic. Certificates, keys and authenticated encryption each solve a different part of the trust problem. Inside this episode: - Http inside tls - The browser needs an identity - The handshake - Why public key cryptography is not used for everything - What an observer can still see Sources include RFC 9110, HTTP Semantics, RFC 8446, TLS 1.3, and RFC 8446, Record Protocol. This episode is a researched narrative summary. Historical records may be incomplete, translated differently, or interpreted differently by scholars. We distinguish documented facts, estimates, disputed interpretations, and later stories where material. Corrections are logged and incorporated into future editions. Follow The Internet in Practice for more researched stories about the infrastructure of the internet.