Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) ensures data integrity and confidentiality, and is used extensively for securing communications. SSL is a protocol that runs above TCP/IP and below higher-level application protocols such as HTTP and LDAP.
To initiate an HTTP-based SSL connection, the client uses a URL that starts with HTTPS:// instead of with HTTP://. Always use an SSL-enabled port with the HTTPS protocol.
In SSL, a server authenticates itself to the client, and the client optionally authenticates itself to the server, insuring against imposters. By using SSL, you can prevent the interception and tampering of messages and provide confidentiality through encryption.
Although much of the SSL material in these topics applies to both WebSphere® and Tomcat, SSL example focuses solely on WebSphere Application Server. For instructions on how to install and configure SSL for Tomcat, see Apache Tomcat documentation