Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is considered an application layer protocol based on HTTP. It is designed to transfer the hypertext data securely. HTTPS is largely used by bank entities, online shops, and in general, any online service that requires sending protected data.

First of all, you need to understand what HTTPS being an application layer protocol means. There are two important conceptual models that standardize the internal functions of a communication system. These models are the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model and the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) model. The OSI model consists of seven abstraction layers while the TCP/IP model is simplified into only five layers. Each layer does not represent a protocol but a level in which a protocol is encapsulated. For simplicity and as its use is more common, we will focus on the TCP/IP model, discussed as follows: