HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is the secure version of HTTP that your browser uses to communicate with servers, so that hackers at Starbucks can't steal your Facebook password while you're buying a latte. It's like HTTP, but with a little lock icon that marketing thinks gives users a false sense of security.

How to use it in a sentence

• I can't believe the sales team is still sending customer credit card numbers over email instead of building an HTTPS form like I told them to weeks ago. I guess I'll have to put my Jira tickets on hold and go explain HTTPS to them again like they're 5 years old.

• Looks like our DevOps intern forgot to renew our SSL certificate again, so now the site is showing HTTPS errors and I'm getting angry calls from the CEO on a Saturday. Guess I'll pour another whiskey and SSH into the server to generate a new cert.

If you actually want to learn more...

• The Basics of Web Application Security - This article covers essential security practices every developer should follow, because apparently "I'm not a security expert" isn't an excuse anymore.

• One Line of Code that Compromises Your Server - Explains how using a weak session secret can let hackers take over your whole server. Maybe don't copy and paste your session key from Stack Overflow.

• A Guide to Threat Modelling for Developers - Walks through simple steps for threat modeling, since we can't just deploy code and hope for the best anymore without getting sued.

Note: the Developer Dictionary is in Beta. Please direct feedback to skye@statsig.com.