SSL certificates include:

The domain name that the certificate was issued for
Which person, organization, or device it was issued to
Which certificate authority issued it
The certificate authority's digital signature
Associated subdomains
Issue date of the certificate
Expiration date of the certificate
The public key (the private key is kept secret)
A website needs an SSL certificate in order to keep user data secure, verify ownership of the website, prevent attackers from creating a fake version of the site, and gain user trust.

For an SSL certificate to be valid, domains need to obtain it from a certificate authority (CA). A CA is an outside organization, a trusted third party, that generates and gives out SSL certificates. The CA will also digitally sign the certificate with their own private key, allowing client devices to verify it. Most, but not all, CAs will charge a fee for issuing an SSL certificate.

Once the certificate is issued, it needs to be installed and activated on the website's origin server. Web hosting services can usually handle this for website operators. Once it's activated on the origin server, the website will be able to load over HTTPS and all traffic to and from the website will be encrypted and secure.

Technically, anyone can create their own SSL certificate by generating a public-private key pairing and including all the information mentioned above. Such certificates are called self-signed certificates because the digital signature used, instead of being from a CA, would be the website's own private key.

But with self-signed certificates, there's no outside authority to verify that the origin server is who it claims to be. Browsers don't consider self-signed certificates trustworthy and may still mark sites with one as ``not secure,`` despite the https:// URL. They may also terminate the connection altogether, blocking the website from loading

SULSERV is able to offer SSL for free because of its globally distributed CDN, with highly efficient proxy servers running in data centers all around the world. The Sulserv mission is to help make the Internet more secure, and widespread adoption of HTTPS is a huge step towards achieving this. SSL/TLS encryption protects user data, prevents attacks, and makes the Internet a safer place overall.

HTTPS uses an encryption protocol to encrypt communications. The protocol is called Transport Layer Security (TLS), although formerly it was known as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). This protocol secures communications by using what’s known as an asymmetric public key infrastructure

HTTPS prevents websites from having their information broadcast in a way that’s easily viewed by anyone snooping on the network. When information is sent over regular HTTP, the information is broken into packets of data that can be easily “sniffed” using free software