Secure Sockets Layer or
SSL is a
protocol designed by
Netscape Communications Corporation to provide
encrypted communications on the
Internet. SSL is layered beneath application protocols such as
HTTP,
SMTP,
Telnet,
FTP,
Gopher, and
NNTP and is layered above the connection protocol
TCP-IP.
While SSL can be used to add security to many protocols, it is most commonly used in the HTTPS access method. HTTPS is used to secure World Wide Web pages for applications such as Electronic commerce.
This article (or an earlier version of it) contains material from FOLDOC's [article on SSL], used with permission.