Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (**HTTPS**) is a network protocol that provides a secure method of communication between clients and website servers. HTTPS is a *secure version of HTTP* that uses **secure sockets layer/transport layer security** ([[Secure Sockets Layer|SSL]]/[[Transport Layer Security|TLS]]) encryption on all transmissions so that malicious actors cannot read the information contained. HTTPS uses port 443. In the TCP/IP model, HTTPS occurs at the [[Application Layer]].