Certificate Decoder

About Certificate Decoder

What are SSL certificates?

SSL is a technology that secures the data passing between a client and a web server over the Internet. A web server usually sends some information to the browser through SSL when it receives a request. The purpose of the information is to help verify that the server is who it claims to be and has the same IP address as the client.

An SSL certificate is issued by an authority to prove the identity of a server. Usually, these are signed with the private key corresponding to the public key. This means a third party can check that the public key corresponds to the private key. In addition, this certificate contains other details that identify the server and the period during which it is valid.

What does an SSL certificate mean for a web browser?

An SSL certificate provides authentication and encryption services to browsers and web applications. When a user tries to visit a website, a browser sends a request to the website. This request includes a digital signature. The digital signature uses the website's public key to encrypt the connection, i.e., the data passing between the browser and the website. The data is encrypted using the website's private key. Only someone who knows the corresponding private key can decrypt the data.

The digital signature also includes the authority's public key, which issued the certificate. The browser stores this in a local database. Whenever the browser sends a request to a website, the certificate checks the validity of the digital signature and whether the public key belongs to the website it is requesting. This way, the browser verifies that the website it connects to is who it claims to be and has the same IP address as the client. The browser passes the request to the web application if all is fine. Otherwise, the browser refuses the