The screen shows HTTP with an open lock on the left, HTTPS with a closed lock on the right, and an hourglass in between.
The long journey from unencrypted connections to complete web traffic security

The transition of the internet from HTTP to HTTPS seems like an obvious step today, when secure connections have become the standard. However, this process stretched out for nearly two decades. Although HTTPS has existed since the late 1990s, its widespread adoption began only after 2015. The reasons for this delay lie in technical limitations, low availability of certificates, reluctance of website owners to change infrastructure, and even psychological factors. To understand why the entire world took so long to switch to a secure protocol, it’s important to look at the history, technologies, and context of internet development.

Origins of HTTP and the First Attempts to Make It Secure

HTTP appeared as a simple data transfer protocol that powered the earliest websites. Its main advantage was simplicity — minimal resources, easy setup, and fast loading. But because of this, HTTP did not encrypt data: everything a user sent, including logins and passwords, was transmitted in plain text. As early as the late 1990s, HTTPS appeared, adding encryption via SSL. However, at that time it was complex, expensive, and not always compatible with server technologies. SSL certificates cost hundreds of dollars per year, and obtaining them could take days or even weeks. Many websites simply didn’t see any point in switching to a secure protocol, as the internet was not yet heavily commercialized, and security concerns were not considered critical.

Why SSL Was Difficult to Implement

Early versions of SSL put a significant load on servers. Encryption and decryption required additional computing power, which often resulted in a sharp decrease in page loading speed on older processors. Website owners feared that switching to HTTPS would worsen user experience. In addition, configuring SSL was complicated: you had to correctly install the certificate, trust chain, private key, and properly configure the web server — often without clear documentation. Small companies lacked specialists capable of managing such setups, so even those who wanted to protect user data frequently postponed the transition.

The Long Road to Earning User Trust

Another obstacle was low user awareness. In the 2000s, most people did not understand the difference between HTTP and HTTPS, and the “padlock” in the browser seemed insignificant. Businesses did not see demand, and without demand they saw no reason to invest in certificates. Moreover, a large portion of the internet consisted of static sites: informational pages, blogs, and simple forums that did not handle sensitive data, so owners did not see encryption as necessary.

The situation began to change only with the rise of e-commerce. The emergence of online payments and large online stores forced businesses to pay attention to security. At that time, large companies were already using HTTPS, but it remained more of a privilege for “heavy” projects rather than an internet standard.

The Let’s Encrypt Revolution and the Role of Browsers

A real breakthrough occurred in 2015 when Let’s Encrypt launched — a free certificate authority that fully automated the issuance of SSL certificates. Instead of waiting days, a certificate could be obtained within minutes, and most importantly — at no cost. This removed the primary barrier that had prevented millions of websites from switching to HTTPS. At the same time, browsers such as Chrome and Firefox began marking HTTP sites as “Not secure,” which had a psychological impact. Users started avoiding unencrypted sites, and website owners were forced to switch to HTTPS to avoid losing traffic and trust.

Improvements to TLS protocols made encryption faster and easier. Modern servers perform cryptographic operations almost instantly, making the transition to HTTPS no longer detrimental to performance.

Why Complete Migration Still Took Decades

Even after affordable certificates became available, many problems remained. The internet is so vast and diverse that updating it instantly is impossible. Millions of old websites were abandoned, and no one planned to modernize them. Many organizations operated outdated systems that did not support modern versions of TLS, and infrastructure changes required time and resources. Government institutions and large enterprises often had complex corporate networks where even minor updates could pose risks. Therefore, the transition was gradual and stretched over many years.

In addition to technical obstacles, there was also inertia in thinking. Some website owners believed that HTTPS was necessary only for online stores or banks. Only after persistent policies from browsers and recommendations from Google and Mozilla did the internet community realize: encryption is necessary for everyone, because even a simple informational website may transmit cookies, comments, or other data.

Today HTTPS Is Not an Advantage but a Minimum Requirement

Today, the transition to HTTPS is nearly complete, with more than 95% of all internet traffic already encrypted. This created a new security standard and pushed developers to prioritize privacy by default. HTTPS is no longer an optional enhancement — it is a baseline requirement, and any modern project without it appears outdated and risky.

Thanks to automated certificates, easy-to-configure web servers, and the widespread use of CDNs, the migration has become much simpler. But the long journey teaches an important lesson: internet technologies evolve slowly not because of a lack of innovation, but because of the enormous scale of the ecosystem and the human factors that always influence the pace of progress.