What is HTTP vs HTTPS and what are the key differences?

Q: What is HTTP vs HTTPS and what are the key differences?

HTTP vs HTTPS | Feature | HTTP | HTTPS | |---------|------|-------| | Full form | HyperText Transfer Protocol | HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure | | URL prefix | http:// | https:// | | Port | 80 | 443 | | Security | Unsecured | Secured | | Layer | Application Layer | Transport Layer (SSL/TLS) | | Encryption | Absent | Present (SSL/TLS) | | Certificates | Not required | Requires SSL Certificate | | Data integrity | Can be tampered | Protected from tampering | Why HTTPS Matters in API Testing - Ensures data transmitted between client and server is encrypted - Prevents man-in-the-middle attacks

Answer

HTTP vs HTTPS

Feature	HTTP	HTTPS
Full form	HyperText Transfer Protocol	HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure
URL prefix	`http://`	`https://`
Port	80	443
Security	Unsecured	Secured
Layer	Application Layer	Transport Layer (SSL/TLS)
Encryption	Absent	Present (SSL/TLS)
Certificates	Not required	Requires SSL Certificate
Data integrity	Can be tampered	Protected from tampering

Why HTTPS Matters in API Testing

✓Ensures data transmitted between client and server is encrypted
✓Prevents man-in-the-middle attacks
✓Required for APIs handling sensitive data (auth tokens, passwords, PII)
✓Modern APIs should always use HTTPS

Practical Implication in Rest Assured

Java

// HTTPS API call — Rest Assured handles SSL by default
Response response = given()
    .relaxedHTTPSValidation() // bypass SSL cert verification in test env
    .when()
    .get("https://api.example.com/users");

In Interviews

✓APIs in production should always use HTTPS
✓If testing against a self-signed cert environment, use relaxedHTTPSValidation()
✓HTTP is only acceptable in local development