What is the main function of an SSL certificate on a website?

The main function of an SSL certificate on a website is to secure data transferred between the user and the website by encrypting it. When an SSL certificate is implemented, it establishes an encrypted connection between the web server and the user's browser, which ensures that any data exchanged—such as personal information, payment details, or login credentials—remains private and protected from eavesdropping or interception by malicious entities.

Encryption helps to protect sensitive information from being accessed by unauthorized parties during transmission over the internet. This is critical for ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of data, which is especially important for e-commerce sites and any services handling personal data.

While there are additional benefits that an SSL certificate provides, such as instilling trust in users by displaying a padlock icon in the address bar and improving website SEO rankings as a secondary effect, the primary and most significant function is the encryption of data to safeguard user information from potential compromise during transmission.