SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), now technically TLS (Transport Layer Security), encrypts the connection between your user and your server. It ensures privacy and data integrity.
1. Domain Validated (DV)
- Verification: Automated. Just prove you own the domain (usually by adding a DNS TXT record or uploading a file).
- Cost: Free (Let's Encrypt) or cheap ($10/yr).
- Best for: Blogs, small business sites, personal portfolios.
- Appearance: You get the padlock icon. That's it. It says "This traffic is encrypted," but it doesn't say who runs the site.
2. Organization Validated (OV)
- Verification: Manual. The Certificate Authority (CA) checks government business registries to prove your company exists legally.
- Cost: $50-$200/year.
- Best for: E-commerce sites, corporate portals where trust is somewhat important.
3. Extended Validation (EV)
- Verification: Strict. Intense background checks, physical address verification, and phone calls.
- Cost: $200+/year.
- Appearance: Originally used to show the famous "Green Bar" with the company name. Note: Modern browsers (Chrome/Safari) have REMOVED the green bar to reduce UI clutter. EV certs are now largely considered a waste of money unless you have specific compliance requirements.
Recommendation: For 99% of sites, Let's Encrypt (DV) is perfect. It provides the exact same encryption strength as an EV cert.
SSLEncryptionWeb Security
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