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TLS vs SSL: Which Protocol Should You Use for WordPress?

Every homeowner needs to make sure their house is safe and nobody can break in. SSL and TLS can do the same thing for your website. They’re like strong locks for your online house.

If you’re building a website or online store, you need one of these locks to protect your visitors and their information, and they are needed to accept online payments securely. But what’s the difference between SSL and TLS? Don’t worry, we’ll explain it in a simple way.

At WPBeginner, we make sure that all of our websites are protected and secure. In this guide, we will help you understand SSL and TLS, and tell you which one is best for your WordPress website.

TLS vs SSL: Which Protocol Should You Use?

What Are SSL/TLS Certificates? How Do They Work?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, and TLS stands for Transport Layer Security. They are both internet security protocols that you install on a website in the form of a certificate.

SSL/TLS certificates are like a security lock for your WordPress website. When a user visits your website, the security certificate will encrypt the data before sending it to the user’s browser. Similarly, they also allow the user’s browser to encrypt data before sending it back to your WordPress website. 

All websites on the internet must use a security certificate. It allows you to securely accept payments online, protect passwords, and safely transfer personal data online.

Security certificates like SSL or TLS work with security keys. When data is transferred from your website to the user’s browser, it is locked behind encryption. In order to read the data, the user’s browser will need the security key to unlock it. 

Similarly, when users send data back, they use the same security key to encrypt the data. Your WordPress website will then use its private key to decrypt the data.

How SSL Works

Once you have installed a security certificate on your website, the beginning of your site’s address (URL) will change from http:// to https://.

This shows that you are now using the HTTPS (Secure HTTP) protocol to securely transfer information over the internet.

You will need to update the URL in your WordPress settings and set up redirects so that visitors will be taken to the correct URL when using an old link. You can learn how in our guide on how to properly move from HTTP to HTTPS.

What Is the Difference Between SSL and TLS Certificates?

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) was the original technology behind security certificates used by websites. SSL certificates were first used in 1995.

Unfortunately, security flaws were found with the original SSL protocol that left it vulnerable to hackers. These vulnerabilities allowed hackers to intercept and modify data as it traveled between the website and the user’s browser.

Over the years, several improvements were made to SSL to make it more secure. Here is a quick timeline of the changes as security vulnerabilities were discovered:

  • SSL 1.0 (unpublished) was never publicly released due to security issues.
  • SSL 2.0 (1995) was deprecated in 2011 due to security issues.
  • SSL 3.0 (1996) was deprecated in 2015 due to security issues.
  • TLS 1.0 (1999) was deprecated in 2021 due to security issues.
  • TLS 1.1 (2006) was deprecated in 2021 due to security issues.
  • TLS 1.2 (2008) is still in use.
  • TLS 1.3 (2018) is still in use.

The SSL protocol is no longer used, but the term SSL certificate stuck, and it is still commonly used as a synonym for TLS certificates. 

To summarize, TLS is the evolved form of SSL certificates. Most websites on the internet use TLS certificates. However, they are still commonly referred to as SSL certificates.

How to Get an SSL Certificate for Your WordPress Website

There are a number of ways you can get an SSL certificate for your WordPress website. The price usually varies between $50-200/year. However, you may be able to get one for free.

The best option is to pick a WordPress hosting provider that includes a free SSL certificate with your hosting plan. That way, you can easily turn on your security certificate from your hosting dashboard.

Here are some of our recommendations for the best WordPress hosting providers that offer free SSL certificates:

If your hosting provider doesn’t offer a free SSL certificate, then you can get one for free with Let’s Encrypt.

If you prefer to buy an SSL certificate, then we recommend using Domain.com. They are one of the largest domain name registration services in the world, and they offer the best deal on SSL certificates.

They provide simple SSL certificate plans starting from $35.99/year, which come with a $10,000 security warranty along with the TrustLogo site seal.

After you have purchased the SSL certificate, you can ask your hosting provider to install it for you or follow our tutorial on how to properly move WordPress from HTTP to HTTPS.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About SSL and TLS

At WPBeginner, our readers often ask us questions about SSL vs. TLS certificates. Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions about these security protocols.

How are TLS and SSL different?

TLS (Transport Layer Security) and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) are encryption-based protocols used to secure communication over the internet.

While they serve the same purpose, TLS is the newer and more secure replacement for SSL.

Most modern browsers no longer support SSL, so if you want to make sure that your website is accessible to all users, then you should use TLS.

What is the latest version of TLS?

The latest version of TLS is TLS 1.3. It was released in 2018, and it is the most secure version of TLS to date. However, TLS 1.2 is still often used.

TLS 1.2 and 1.3 are supported by most modern browsers and devices.

Earlier versions should not be used due to known security issues.

How can I discover which version of SSL or TLS my website is running?

The easiest way to check which SSL or TLS protocol your website is using is with an online tool like the Qualys SSL Labs SSL Server Test.

Simply type in the website’s domain name and then click the ‘Submit’ button. The tool will show which versions are supported and also look for common SSL issues.

SSL Test Result With an Excellent Result

What should I do if my website is still using SSL?

If your website is still using SSL, then you should upgrade to TLS. You will also need to upgrade if you are using the older, less secure TLS versions 1.0 or 1.1.

Upgrading to TLS 1.2 and/or 1.3 will improve the security of your website and make it more accessible. Plus, this is a relatively simple process that can be done by your web hosting provider.

Expert Guides on SSL Certificates in WordPress

Now that you understand more about TLS and SSL, you may like to see some other articles related to SSL certificates in WordPress.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn the difference between TLS vs. SSL certificates. You may also want to see our ultimate WordPress security guide or our expert pick for the best WordPress security plugins to further protect your website.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi with over 16 years of experience in WordPress, Web Hosting, eCommerce, SEO, and Marketing. Started in 2009, WPBeginner is now the largest free WordPress resource site in the industry and is often referred to as the Wikipedia for WordPress.

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Reader Interactions

15 CommentsLeave a Reply

  1. Syed Balkhi

    Hey WPBeginner readers,
    Did you know you can win exciting prizes by commenting on WPBeginner?
    Every month, our top blog commenters will win HUGE rewards, including premium WordPress plugin licenses and cash prizes.
    You can get more details about the contest from here.
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  2. David Lim

    Actually, if we were to ask the customer which is more important, SSL or TLS, he would surely only say that “the main thing is to have a small lock next to the url bar and that’s it”. :D

  3. Oyatogun Oluwaseun Samuel

    Honestly, as an inexperience web developer I did not give much thought to security in my earlier days as web developer, though i have never had any security breach in any of my websites, but when I began to hear much from friends and reading from blogs around the webs about important of security of information shared between server and client i began to give serious taught to it. Most especialy, when google mandated that every website should be ssl protected for it to rank better. Even now, I am learning the difference between SSL and TLS from this article because I have not been actively seeking to know the difference. This is because in my country, whenever you purchase a hosting package, the service provider often include SSL as part of the package. I have not really seek to know. It is good that I came across this article. Thank you for sharing your know how on this.

  4. Dennis Muthomi

    I’ve often encountered confusion among clients about these security protocols. You’ve done an excellent job of explaining the evolution from SSL to TLS and why it matters.

    I particularly appreciate the timeline of SSL/TLS versions and their deprecation dates. It’s a stark reminder of how quickly web security evolves.
    Thanks again for this valuable resource. It’s articles like these that help raise the bar for WordPress security across the community.

  5. Moinuddin Waheed

    I have used SSL certificate for all my WordPress websites and I never knew that in fact I was using the TLS behind the scene.
    secure socket layer what we have studied so far but as you have mentioned originally it was SSL and when vulnerability arose, with the successive improvements, it has evolved to TLS.
    though the name we are using is SSL.
    thank you for the clarification of both the terms.

    • WPBeginner Support

      You’re welcome, glad you found our post helpful :)

      Admin

  6. Jiří Vaněk

    Thank you for the article and explanation of the difference between SSL and TLS. I currently use CloudFlare services, which use TLS certificates. However, the certificate verification service mentioned in the article isn’t functional with Cloudflare, likely due to the proxy server. It’s not possible to perform the check with it. It continuously checks in a loop but doesn’t display the result.

    • WPBeginner Support

      Sadly for that inability to check you would want to reach out to CloudFlare and they would be able to assist.

      Admin

  7. Ralph

    This is the first time I even hear about TLS. Didn’t even know it exists!
    I have free Lets Encrypt with my hosting. It works for 30 or 45 days i don’t remember but they auto renew it, so i never bother to do anything about it in years of blogging.

    • WPBeginner Support

      Unless we hear otherwise, they’re currently using TLS :)

      Admin

  8. Ram E.

    Thanks for this informative article. Question: when do you think it is best to upgrade to TLS when the SSL currently installed on your sites are working just fine and offerred free by your hosting provider? Is there any use case where you really need to make the switch?

    • WPBeginner Support

      We would recommend first checking with your hosting provider in case they are already using TLS and naming it SSL for your site and after that you could look to upgrade to TLS if they are using SSL. When possible it would be best to change over but that answer depends on the specific site.

      Admin

      • Ram E.

        Got it, thank you.

  9. Konrad

    Still calling it SSL :D I can’t imagine any serious website operating without it. Thank you.

    • WPBeginner Support

      You’re welcome :)

      Admin

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