HTTPS is an SSL-based communication protocol for encrypted transmission over a network. After an SSL certificate is installed on your server, it gets deployed to your website.  Visiting the website with HTTPS activates the “SSL encryption channel” (SSL protocol) between the client-side browser and the web server.

This provides intensive bidirectional encryption of communications between the client and server, and prevents the contents of the communication from being divulged or tampered with.  HTTPS is a combination of HTTP and SSL.