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Home / Glossary / SSL
Glossary · Protocol

SSL

Secure Sockets Layer

In plain language

The older name for the padlock technology that scrambles traffic between your browser and a website.

The metaphor

Like a sealed courier bag: what travels between you and the site cannot be read or changed on the way.

Going deeper

How it works

  • It has been replaced by TLS, though people still say SSL.
  • The padlock means the connection is encrypted and the certificate matches the site.
  • Certificates expire and must be renewed.
  • An expired one shows a scary warning to visitors.

What can go wrong (example scenario)

A small shop's website certificate expired over a long weekend. Browsers showed a security warning to every visitor, and online orders stopped until Tuesday.

How WILDCARD handles it

Domain Security and Managed Hosting keep the certificates behind your website's padlock current.

In practice
  • A shop renews its certificate each year.
  • A firm checks that its login page shows the padlock.
  • An owner is warned by the browser about an expired one.

A question owners ask

Is a site with a padlock automatically safe?

The padlock means the connection is private. It says nothing about whether the site itself is honest.

Where WILDCARD handles this
Domain
Security
  • Email deliverability
  • Reputation monitoring
  • Management and renewals
Start with Domain SecurityMeet Domain Security →
Managed
Hosting
  • Hosting, managed
  • Updates and backups handled
  • Uptime watched
Start with Managed Hosting
Related terms
BECBusiness Email CompromiseCACertificate AuthorityCMSContent Management SystemCSRCertificate Signing RequestDKIMDomainKeys Identified MailDMARCDomain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and ConformanceDNSDomain Name SystemDomain name

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