What is an SSL certificate?

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and enables an encrypted connection. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, a security protocol that creates an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser.

Companies and organisations need an active SSL certificate on their websites to secure online transactions and keep customer information private and secure.

SSL keeps internet connections secure and prevents criminals from reading or modifying information transferred between two systems. You will see a padlock icon next to the web address of the website in the address bar, which means SSL is actively protecting the connection.

There have been several versions of SSL protocol in the last 25 years, all with limited success, but a new revamped, renamed and relaunched version has followed.
This is TLS (Transport Layer Security), which is in use today. However, the initials SSL were so well known that it has continued with that abbreviation, meaning the new version of the protocol is still usually called by the old name.

This is what an SSL certificate is!