Tip: SSL is short for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol developed for transmitting private documents accross the Internet. SSL web hosting uses a cryptographic system that uses two keys to encrypt data, a public key known to everyone and a private or secret key known only to the recipient of the message. Many web sites use SSL to obtain confidential user information such as credit card numbers. SSL web hosting servers creates a secure connection between a client and the server which any amount of data can be sent securely. The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) has been approved by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).