Should I get Apache with no ssl or with open ssl? Can someone tell me what ssl is exactly?

Question

I'm looking for server software and decided on Apache, but I see two different versions of Apache HTTP server - one with SSL and one without. I've been reading about it and it sounds important, but I still don't know exactly what it is and whether I need it for just hosting a website. Which version should I get?

Answer 1

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is an encryption mechanism over HTTP which allows you to send sensitive or confidential information over the internet to a client and vice versa, without the fear of the data being intercepted by any third party.

If your website requires a user to submit any personal or confidential information, using SSL is a good idea. You will need to get a certificate from a trusted authority (who can vouch that your website is genuine) and set up Apache (with SSL).

If your website is just a set of pages and other information and there is no exchange of confidential information, you can go ahead and install Apache, without SSL.

Answer 2

Are you going to be asking your users to send ANY kind of sensitive information from their browser to your site? Then use SSL. Keep in mind, though, that if this is a public site you will want to get your SSL certificate from a trusted root authority so that there are no warnings to the user about expired/invalid/unsigned SSL certs.

If there's nothing sensitive being submitted, you should be fine.